Firms drop PLN tender

JAKARTA (JP): Several suppliers of electricity equipment in North Sulawesi have pulled out of a state electricity company tender due to the low price ceiling offered.

Nurdin, a company executive from PLN's Manado office, said on Saturday that the suppliers had in fact won the tender to supply the equipment to the state electricity company's rural power projects in the province but later withdrew after realizing that the price limits set by PLN were below market prices.

He said the hurdle in the tendering process has slowed progress on several PLN rural power projects in the province.

Rural electricity projects should have started in June in several regencies, but due to several delays in the complicated tendering process, work only began in September, three months behind schedule, he said. (gis)