An analysis conducted by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) revealed that a staggering 1,366 government tenders, amounting to Rs 160,276 crore, were found to be non-compliant with public procurement norms.

Among these tenders, 369 were found to be in violation of the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017, as they sought specific brands. Additionally, 40 tenders violated the condition of requiring specific foreign certification.

This discovery by DPIIT followed scrutiny of more than 3,103 bid documents, covering procurement of goods, works, and services totaling Rs 1.61 lakh crore.

Government officials indicated that tenders were evaluated based on parameters such as adherence to the order`s provisions, turnover, and experience requirements.

Of particular concern were 910 tenders that violated provisions of the PPP-MII order, while 133 had restrictive turnover requirements.

In response to grievances from stakeholders regarding alleged violations of the PPP-MII Order, DPIIT forwards these complaints to the procuring entity and the concerned department for necessary corrective action.

Last year, DPIIT identified about 20 restrictive and discriminatory conditions imposed by procuring agencies under various ministries against local suppliers, rendering them non-compliant with the government`s public procurement for Make in India orders.

To address these issues, DPIIT has proposed raising the minimum local content requirement to 70% for Class I suppliers and 50% for Class II suppliers in public procurement tenders.

Furthermore, DPIIT noted that 27 tenders sought details on prior experience of supplying to specific nations and entities, making them non-compliant with the order. Similarly, requirements for specific experience were deemed restrictive in 15 tenders, while 36 tenders exhibited such restrictive practices.