Kochi (India) holds workshop on
“Contracting and Procurement in Urban Transport”
December, 2019
(Buses, E-rickshaw and footpath in Kochi; image courtesy: Dr Ajay Kumar)
Kochi Municipal Corporation with the support of European Union (EU), Agence française de développement (AFD) and Urban Mass Transit Company Pvt Ltd. (Program Implementation Unit MYC India) organized a two-day training workshop on “Contracting and Procurement in Urban Transportation” during December 11-12, 2019. The workshop was supported by Kochi Metro Rail Corporation, Cochin Smart Mission Limited, Kerala Motor Vehicle Department, Kochi Traffic Police, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and others.
The key objective of the workshop was to support an effective and well-informed planning and implementation of urban mobility initiatives with a focus on reviewing the current practices in contracts and procurement, sharing international experience, and encouraging participants to reflect on alternative paradigm to introduce efficient and innovative ways.
National and international experts like Sutanu Pati, Etienne Lhomet, Dr. Ajay Kumar, Dr Parveen Kumar, and Jaishree Jindel shared procurement approaches, guidelines and case examples of LRTS, bus based transit, electric buses, smart parking and PPP, public bicycle sharing. Presentations by Vishal Ramprasad & Azra Khan highlighted the importance of data ownership/ open data and gender inclusive approaches. It was emphasized that focus on these components can significantly enhance innovation, public involvement & safety in the projects.
Key feedback from the participants:
- “The workshop helped us understand procurement methods other than the least cost. I am glad that there was a session dedicated to alternative procurement methods like quality and cost based selection (QCBS) and quality based least cost selection”.
- “…appreciated the discussions on procurement model for electric buses. The suitability of gross-cost contracts in the Indian context provided useful guiding tools.”
- “…planning, financing, procurement and implementation challenges faced by a newly constructed bus terminal using a PPP model in a city in Indonesia were very similar to issues faced by Indian cities and the discussions will come in handy while planning for future PPP projects.”
Overall, the workshop acted as a good knowledge exchange platform for various stakeholders involved in the development process of a city and was very much appreciated by the city officials.
Similar workshops were also conducted in Ahmedabad and Nagpur on 5– 6 December and 9– 10 December 2019, respectively. Stakeholders from various urban local bodies such as Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited, Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority, Ahmedabad Traffic Police, Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL), Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Maha Metro, Public Works Department- Nagpur, RTO, etc. participated in the workshop.
(Figure: Workshop participants in Nagpur, image courtesy: UMTC)
(Figure: Workshop participants in Kochi, image courtesy: UMTC)
(Figure: Workshop participants in Ahmedabad, image courtesy: UMTC)