LAHORE: Twelve globally-acclaimed companies, having experience of implementing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects, after fulfilling stringent criterion laid down by Punjab Saaf Pani Company (PSPC), have pre-qualified to execute Khadim-e-Punjab Saaf Pani Programme in the first phase in rural areas of 10 districts in the province. According to the Saaf Pani Project spokesperson on Tuesday, as many as 24 companies have been disqualified for failing to meet the requisite technical and financial criteria besides failing to provide technical information. PSPC had invited pre-qualification applications to award 14 contracts worth $1.15 billion in first phase for implementation of safe drinking water solutions (water filtration plants) in 35 priority tehsils of 10 districts, including Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Rahim Yar Khan, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Kasur and Okara, in the biggest province of Pakistan. More than 23 million rural people of 7,496 villages would enjoy sustained access to safe and clean drinking water in the wake of execution of first phase of the multi-billion dollar project. Thirty companies from USA, Turkey, Austria, China, Pakistan, Australia, Germany, UAE and Malaysia have provisionally qualified, as notarisation and attestation of their submitted documents were still awaited. These companies would be issued request for bid documents conditionally. However, their technical bid would not be opened if they fail to submit the required notarisation/attestation before the deadline of submission of technical/financial bids. In order to ensure utmost transparency in the award of contracts, PSPC has announced that the aggrieved parties may submit their grievances to the PSPC’s Grievance Redressal Committee within 10 days of the notification related to disqualification and provisional qualification. PSPC had received more than 440 pre-qualification proposals for 14 contracts from 64 international companies, some of which collaborated with local Pakistani companies to execute the project in the form of joint ventures. Safe and clean drinking water supply project was a mega project costing approximately $3,000 million, which would cover 137 tehsils (20,000 villages) to provide basic necessity of life to over 50 million rural population in Punjab. This landmark programme would provide safe drinking water to every household within 0.5 km radius in a comprehensive, integrated and sustainable manner. The project would benefit over 50 million people residing in rural and peri-urban areas of the Punjab in next three years.