After massive reactions, Tripura Govt withdraws Finance dept’s memorandum on tender issues

After massive reaction among media fraternity and gross controversy over memorandum on tender issue, the Finance department of Tripura has withdrawn the memorandum over publication of tender notices to newspapers.

Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy confirmed the decision and stated that the controversial memorandum was issued based on a circular derived from a central government notification.

It may be recalled here that on Wednesday, Tripura government  has issued a memorandum for new guidelines for publishing tender notices, making newspaper advertisements optional instead of mandatory. The decision aligns with national procurement standards and aims to improve accessibility for bidders through online platforms.

According to a memorandum issued by the Finance Department on March 1, 2025, the revised guidelines are based on the adoption of three key procurement manuals — the Manual for Procurement of Goods (Revised Edition, 2024), Manual for Procurement of Consultancy and Other Services, 2022, and Manual for Procurement of Works, 2022. These manuals were issued by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, and their adoption necessitated changes in Tripura’s tender notice publication process.

Under the revised rules, all state government departments, along with their attached and subordinate offices, as well as autonomous and statutory bodies, are now required to publish tender notices, corrigenda, and bid award details on the state’s official e-tendering portal www.tripuratenders.gov.in. For wider publicity, the same information must also be uploaded to the Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP) — www.eprocure.gov.in.

Departments that operate their own websites or e-procurement portals have been advised to publish tender-related information on those platforms as well.

While newspaper advertisements are no longer mandatory, the Finance Department in the memorandum clarified that departments may still choose to issue them if considered necessary. This move is expected to reduce costs for government departments while ensuring tenders receive nationwide visibility through digital platforms.

After massive reaction  among the media fraternity, the Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said that the circular has been withdrawn and Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha in a prompt action issued a directive to withdraw the circular on tender issue.

The Finance Minister also said that the tender will be displayed on various media platforms as per earlier process through Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) and other government departments.