Roads and Highways Department contractors at a public hearing on Monday alleged that they were not only deprived of getting work but also facing difficulties in realising money against their work mainly due to new policy and rules in tender.
They also urged the authority concerned to set a schedule of new rates by June this year and withdraw the time limit on defect liability period.
They said the changes in tender policy and rules are hitting small contractors hard.
As part of its countrywide programme to practise integrity in its development work, Roads and Highways Department (RHD) organised the public hearing at Sarak Bhaban.
The hearing chaired by Chief Engineer Ibne Alam Hasan was attended by Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary Nazrul Islam as the chief guest.
Among the speakers, owners and leaders of contractors and RHD employees association raised questions and placed demand.
Though the public hearing is organised to allow the people from all walks of life to ask questions about road infrastructure construction, mainly contractors took part in the hearing on the day.
Officials of RHD and the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges were present.
The last public hearing was held on June 11, 2018.
The contractors at the hearing brought allegations of deprivation as the RHD stopped calling limited tender (LTM) against the work below Tk 30 million.
They also raised a question of increasing the defect liability period from one year to three years when the government allows 22 tonnes of overweight against road design with 10 to 15 tonnes.
Demand is also raised to hang the notice of allowable axle load at the entrance of all roads just after completion of construction work.
A contractor said the latest schedule of rate prepared in 2018 has flaws for including Mymensingh under Dhaka though all kinds of direct and indirect expenditures between the two areas are quite different.
The contractors also demanded an increase in the profit margin from five per cent to 15 per cent and inclusion of system loss in the new rate schedule. They also demanded stoppage of assessment of contractors through bid capacity.
The chief engineer who mostly answered the questions with support of circle officials concerned said LTM (limited tender method) remained stopped as controversy has arisen over it.
He said tender and procurement related changes in the RHD works are made in line with the directions of the Central Procurement Technical Unit to ensure transparency in department works.
The RHD head said road development is done with limited resources and budgets.
The secretary said the government is sincere in resolving all road sector problems and assured the contractors of taking their demand into consideration.
"We will take legitimate demand into account and discuss it with the authority concerned," he added.
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