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Ambar Singh Roy

This dotcom has survived the storm by opting for a smarter ride — powering business through the Net.

EVER since it went online in November 1999, this outfit has leveraged the inherent advantages that accrue to the first mover in any business. While the first three-and-a-half years of operations saw the Web site concentrating as an online daily tender publication which sought to facilitate tendering processes, it has now developed and demonstrated an online tendering system that awaits approval from one of the largest Central Government organisations in the country.

Welcome to www.tendertimes.com, a Web site promoted by Ontrack Systems Ltd, which has sailed through the dotcom turmoil, having achieved break-even in 2001-02 and having registered a turnover exceeding Rs 1 crore in 2002-03. Its list of clients has gone up from 19 in 2000 to 30 in 2002 and further up to 37 as of now. Among the big tender seekers in the paying-client category are Indian Railways, Steel Authority of India Ltd, Punjab National Bank, Allahabad Bank, Indian Airlines, Cement Corporation of India Ltd, Madhya Pradesh Rural Development Authority, Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.

The USP of the service

Says B. Hari, Managing Director of Ontrack Systems Ltd, "The unique selling proposition of tendertimes.com is its solutions-provider approach. Our service starts with hosting the tender notices followed by the advanced copy of the bid documents, tender opening report, post-tender report, details of contract award notices and follow-up of the execution of the order. The idea from the start has been to add value to a conventional system by leveraging the power of the Internet".

Says C.V. Aiyar, Head of Corporate Communications of Ontrack Systems Ltd, "Our objectives do not veer round tendering per se. Instead, our focus has been on adding value to the existing and conventional system of tendering by being a one-stop Web site for information on tenders that are called for, facilitating procurement of the tender documents by downloading it from our Web site".

The Web site hosts over 300 new tenders and secured bids that are floated every day. While most of them are picked up from select 35-odd English and regional language dailies that are published across the country, some of the tenders are paid for by the 37 registered client - companies. Each ordinary paid tender that is hosted costs Rs 5,000 or $115 and the hosting of a secured bid document costs Rs 8,000.

On a payment of Rs 5,000 or Rs 8,000 as the case may be, client-companies can have their tender notices hosted on the Web site till the closing date of the tender. Any communication relating to the tender notice will be passed on to the tendering authority. In the case of the tendering authority having its own Web sites, the URL address mentioned in the notice shall be hyper-linked for interested visitors to go directly to the Web site. Besides other allied value-added services, global tender notices are translated into French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

While the revenue is generated from hosting the client companies' notices inviting tenders and allied professional services, banner advertisements and hosting of secured bid documents, it is free of charge for visitors to the site. Just that they have to register as a visitor if they wish to receive the electronic magazine which will provide them with details of tenders that are invited in their areas of sectoral and geographical interests. Besides, with a click of the mouse on "details", registered users can directly be linked to the Web site of the tender-calling authority.

Making it India-specific

Says Aiyar, "Technology is just one part of it. What is important is application of the technology to a specific Indian context and that is what has been our strength". The number of registered users at www.tendertimes.com has exceeded 15,000 even as the number of visitors to the site every month is stated to be over five lakh from across the globe.

According to Suparna Dasgupta Roy, Manager & Head of www.tendertimes.com, in developed countries the world over, the tendering processes are automated and often integrated with the reverse auction systems. "With the global economy gradually becoming integrated, it is a matter of time before we in India formally move into the online tendering and auctions mode," she says. When that happens, the Web site is confident of registering a growth in excess of the targeted 30-40 per cent in revenue terms.

ambar_singhroy@

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Picture by K.R. Deepak

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