UP calls eight bidders for technical presentations on November 21

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to call all the eight bidders to make technical presentations here on November 21 for the selection of a consultant to work out a roadmap to boost the size of state’s economy (GSDP) to one trillion dollars in the next five years.

The eight bidders include global consulting companies and a top management institute of India.

The decision to call them was taken at a meeting of a highpowered committee that chief secretary RK Tiwari presided over here on Wednesday.

“Yes, we have invited eight bidders — Arthur D Little, ISAARC, Boston Consulting, Grand Thornton, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Friday Micro Ventures, Nangia & Co, and IIM Ahmedabad — to make the technical presentations on November 21,” said a senior officer associated with the process of appointment of the consultant.

The state government would ask the consultant to boost the size of the state’s gross domestic product (GSDP) to one trillion dollars in the next five years. The revised RFP (Request for Proposal), issued after the prebid conference on June 29, had left it open to the state government to decide the date and time for technical presentation, evaluation and opening of financial bids.

Asked about the timeline for the opening of financial bids, the officer said a decision would be taken only after the technical presentations.

The state government’s revised RFP document pointed out that GSDP has already touched Rs 15.80 lakh crore (US$ 230 billion) with a rich growth rate of 7% over the previous year in 2018-19.

Uttar Pradesh’s GSDP witnessed a negative growth of 22.5% in the first quarter of 2020-21. The state government has claimed a consistent increase in the state’s revenue collections in the past four months but its performance on the financial front will be keenly watched in the coming months amid the fight against Covid-19.