There are "0 yuan bids" for general transportation in Tainan, and the city government plans to strengthen the bidding and auditing mechanism. (Photo by reporter Wang Shuxiu)
South City Councilor Lin Yanzhu questioned the city government and revealed that there were "0 yuan bids" in the city's general transportation bidding. There were even 21 illegal transportation cases involving operators cooperating with private ambulances, and asked the city government to comprehensively review the bidding system. Tainan Mayor Huang Weizhe said that in the future, the relevant bidding mechanisms will be reviewed and a procurement system that takes into account legality, rationality and service quality will be established to avoid disputes.
The Civil Affairs Bureau pointed out that the current regulations do not explicitly restrict manufacturers from bidding at 0 yuan. As the manufacturer's quotation is too low, the city government will strengthen contract performance management in accordance with the contract provisions to ensure service quality; it will increase the political audit mechanism and conduct monthly interviews on cases where family members claim the remains after the body is transported to ensure that the manufacturer's performance complies with the contract specifications and safeguards the rights and interests of citizens.
Bidding for corpse transportation procurement is held every three years. The charging standard for corpse collection vehicles is 1,500 yuan per vehicle within 20 kilometers, and an additional 50 yuan per kilometer is charged. The discount percentage is calculated based on the bid price, and the purchase is handled with the lowest bid. In 2015, the bid was opened in April, and it was found that the bid price of the bidding manufacturer was 0%. It was determined that the bid was on the low side, so the bid was retained and the manufacturer was required to submit relevant certification documents for its ability to perform the contract. Subsequently, the manufacturer provided service bases in Xinan and Xibei for on-site verification, and after the on-site inspection confirmed that it had the ability to perform the contract, the bid award process was processed in accordance with the law.
Lin Yanzhu pointed out that Tainan's general pick-up and transportation companies re-tendered this year, and only 10 companies met the bidding regulations. Four of them had a base price of 0 yuan, but the winner was determined by drawing lots. She questioned whether the 0 yuan contract might affect the service quality, and one of the winning bidders is in Kaohsiung. Can they implement the performance standards and arrive at the pick-up site within 30 minutes after receiving the notice?
Lin Yanzhu said that there are other commercial considerations behind the zero-yuan bid. Businesses may contact the families of the deceased by contracting general transportation services to further strive for follow-up funeral services. Therefore, zero-yuan bidding may seem to save public funds on the surface, but in fact it may cause an imbalance in market competition and even crowd out other businesses that operate in accordance with the law and quote reasonable prices.
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