Here goes....

Message: 2
   Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 12:49:57 +0530
   From: "Amit Sheth" <amitmed@...>
Subject: more points regrading empanelment

Dear Fellow Alumnites:

below is the copy of the empanelment form and my reactions in
red and some
points at the end. Please go through this and think !
We need to react positively and give our feedback .

Registration form for Empanelment

1. Name of the firm/Individual/Company

2. Postal Address with telephone, Fax Nos., E-mail and name of
authorized
personnel

3. Name of the Contact persons with designations

4. Date of Establishment / ST-CST / PAN No. (most consultancies
do not have
a ST/CST number)

5. Nature of Activities with scope and design domain developed

6. Details of past work done and specific experience.

7. Paste your Company profile / resume

8. Annual billing during last three years

9. External References.



TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR EMPANELMENT

1. Enquiries for various projects can be accessed from N
ID's
official
website www.nid.edu or may be send by the IDS office. The
Empanelled
designer, based on their core-competency can send their quote /
proposal.
However, such decision of outsourcing the project / task
partially or fully
shall be at the sole discretion of the Activity Chairperson /
Activity
Vice-chairperson Integrated Design Services (IDS).
(It so happens that the Activity Chairperson & Vice Chairperson
have no idea
of this as yet when questioned yesterday ! It seems it has been
done by the
legal department without consultation)

2. The proposal / quotation shall be acknowledged by the NID.
However,
awarding the work shall be based on evaluation made by NID. For
this
purpose, whenever required an internal presentation will be
required to be
made by the Empanelled Designer for which an honorarium based on
per day
basis as prevailing from time to time shall be paid to those
designers whose
concept presentation is not accepted.
(who will evaluate? No clarity on this
issue)

3. Most competitive and reasonable Proposals / Quotation will be
submitted
by the Empanelled Designer / Firms based on the enquiry for a
minimum
validity period of one month.
(how would it be compared? How can you compare designers with
varying
degrees of experience and expertise)

4. All Proposals / Quotations should be all inclusive with
taxes, if any.

5. All Empanelled Designers / firms should have valid ST
registration, PANo.
and the same shall be quoted in their bills.

6. Proposals should be submitted on or before the due date as
specified in
the enquiry and quotations / proposal submitted after the due
date shall not be considered.
All proposals / quotations should be in sealed cover
superscribed quotation for _______ with
enquiry number.

7. The Registration Fee of Rs.5000/- (Rupees five thousand)
shall bear no
interest and shall be refunded if the registration of the
Empanelled
Designer / firms is not extended for a further period by the
Institute or
the Emp
anelled Designer / Firm seeking withdrawal of the
registration at the
end of the registration period as a normal case. However, for
any reason if
the registration is cancelled or the Empanelled Designer
withdraws the
registration before expiry of the validity period of the
registration, the
Registration Fee will be forfeited
(so is the registration fee a deposit? Again there is no clarity
in this
regard)

8. All general conditions as prevalent from time to time will
apply to all
Empanelled Designer /Firm. (what general conditions?)

9. Technical and Commercial brochures of the Empanelled Designer
shall be
regularly furnished to NID.

10. The Registration shall be valid for a period 18 months from
1.02.04

11. The Empanelled Designer should respond to all enquires.
(what does this
mean?)

12. The Empanelled Designers shall ensure that the Concept and
Detailing
offered by them conform to professional ethics and standards and
no infringement of any sort
on Copy Right, Design Reg
istration, Patent and / or any other
Intellectual Property Rights.
The Empanelled Designer indemnifies the NID against such events
and consequent damages.

13. The Registration Fees of Rs.5000/- shall be treated as EMD
and shall be
forfeited fully / partially in respect of the following.
For unprofessional and non-ethical practices.
For any act adversely affecting the reputation or goodwill of
NID.
Non-adherence to quality standards and time schedule.
(who checks quality? In the past a tremendous amount of work
executed by
'empanelled' people was found to be shoddy and below par and yet
they still
got new projects! So where is the quality control??)
For any impropriety / irregularity in administrative / financial
matter
affecting NID as a part of the outsourced project work.
Not responding to NID enquiries continuously more than 3 times.
(this is
also very vague)
Non-disclosure of interest in the project or any part thereof.
(what does
this imply? )
For reasons mentioned at c
ondition 2 and 7.
For any other act / omission of the Empanelled Designer which
results in
pecuniary loss to NID.

More points which need to be addressed & discussed:

1.. The advertisement implies that anybody can get empanelled
for design
projects at NID. All it requires is Rs.5000/- !!
  2.. No recognition and no mention of minimum or requisite
qualifications
at all ! Means we may even have to compete with a BA/BCom
graduate who has
an interest in design as well !!
  3.. How can you compare a professional graduate designer with
a self
proclaimed designer with no academic inputs or training ?
  4.. Again within the professional designer categories, time
costs will
vary depending on experience and expertise. How can you not take
this into
consideration this?  If they go by the lowest quote system, then
a junior
designer with minimal experience would have a greater chance of
getting a
project then a more seasoned professional !
  5.. Also it is imperative that the system be
made transparent
and
responsible. Expert committees who would evaluate and select the
right
person and check projects must be in place. I don't think you
can ever have
non-design personnel evaluate or check designers or their work.
  6.. Transparency is also required in how much the institute
charges the
client ! The percentage or fixed amount that the institute would
charge the
client over and above what you quote should be fixed and made
known.
Otherwise we could be used as cheap labour at unrealistically
low rates.
  7.. Setting standards of design and quality must come from the
Institute.
Acceptance of low standards in quality (both design and
execution) as well
as undercutting fees lowers the value of the design profession
and hurts
everybody.

These issues need to be discussed and a presentation needs to be
made to the
institute. The basic idea and what one can read into it goes
against
professionalism and what we all learnt in our design management
courses at
the very
same institute. Also it seems we are getting a
step-children
treatment from them and are forced to lower our professional
standards, and
our standing in society. No where have I heard of the alma mater
treating
their alumni in this manner !!

Please come with your comments / ideas / suggestions to the
meeting on
Saturday and please be vocal so that we can give a constructive
and positive
solution to this - madness !

Amit Sheth.






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