A tender to remove four ageing gantry cranes from the Jaya Container Terminal at the Colombo Port has been delayed for a third time, drawing complaints from several companies bidding for the contract.
The tender, valued at over Rs. 200 million, was originally due to close on July 16. It was first pushed back to July 28 and has now been extended again to August 11.
Several bidders have reportedly asked President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to review the process. They argue that narrowing the field from 11 bidders to two reduces competition and could ultimately lower the revenue the government earns from the contract.
Port sector officials said a number of experienced firms that had submitted bids were dropped from the final selection, including companies that had worked on earlier crane removal projects at the Colombo Port.
Some bidders also questioned the decision to have the same tender committee assess appeals lodged by rejected applicants, saying an independent panel should handle that review. Others suggested the process could favour a particular bidder, though no evidence has been presented to support that claim.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Parakrama Dissanayake said the tender process was still under way and that approvals were being obtained. He said two committees were handling the process and that it was not appropriate to comment further at this stage.
The four gantry cranes were installed in the 1980s. The SLPA has said the equipment is now outdated and is being removed as part of a wider effort to modernise operations at the terminal.
