Punjab to Launch Electric Buses in Two Major Cities

LAHORE: To address traffic congestion, environmental challenges, smog, and related issues, the Punjab government has initiated the purchase of electric buses for Faisalabad and Bahawalpur, building on the successful implementation in Lahore.

According to sources, the Punjab Transport Company is set to hold a meeting on December 30th to discuss procurement, prequalification, bidding, and related matters. Following this, the prequalified firms will be granted permission to participate in the international competitive bidding process in accordance with the regulations set out by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).

“The last date for the bidders to participate in the prequalification process was Dec 20. Now, the officers concerned are busy scrutinising documents of the firms/manufacturers intending to participate in international competitive bidding. Hopefully, they will complete the assignment in a day or two after which a pre-proposal meeting will be held on Dec 30,” a source told.

A report says that Punjab as a whole and its important cities, such as Lahore, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, and Multan, have serious problems with transportation.

Project Objectives

This project aims to:

• Introduce eco-friendly vehicles in public transport.
• Improve environmental conditions in Punjab.
• Support sustainable economic growth in the region.

“In alignment with this objective, the Procuring Agency (Punjab Transport Company) intends to procure pure electric buses and allied tools/services etc,” the document states.

Requirements for Prequalification

There are stringent requirements for the firms to meet in order to be qualified. The most recent audited financial records must show that the firm’s net value is at least $200 million, reducing any excess on revaluation. Similarly, as shown in their most current audited financial accounts, they must have an average yearly turnover (minimum) of $600 million exclusively related to bus production in order to meet the criterion.

Similarly, the audited financial accounts for the last three years should determine the minimum average yearly turnover of the firms. This turnover should be based on the total payments received by an application (firm) for contracts that have been completed or are currently being executed. To comply with the requirement, the historical financial statements of any applicant whose business is based outside of Pakistan must have been translated at the interbank rate specified by the State Bank of Pakistan as of the financial statement’s date.

Additionally, companies seeking prequalification must demonstrate five years of expertise in manufacturing buses (CBUs measuring 7.5 m and above) and three years of producing an average of 7,500 CBUs of 7.5 m and above across all types and requirements.

The companies also need to have sold at least 300 CBUs of 7.5–13 m pure electric city buses in the previous four years. In addition to this, within the past five years, they should have finished no less than three comparable projects involving the supply of electric buses (CBU) ranging in length from 7.5 to 13 meters, with each order requiring a minimum of 100 buses (CBU).

“Hopefully, the international tenders will be issued next month by publishing them in the local and international print media,” the source shared. They further mentioned that an internal team has been tasked with researching the design and quality/standard of electric buses operating on urban routes in developed countries, such as China, the UK, and other European nations.