Public to pay the price as Govt fumbles number plate tender

Sri Lanka’s vehicle number plate supply has ground to a halt, with over 200,000 vehicles reportedly operating without government-issued plates.

At the centre of the crisis is a multi-billion rupee government tender mired in controversy.

The two lowest bidders — Access International (Pvt) Ltd and Metropolitan Technologies (Pvt) Ltd — were disqualified on technical grounds, clearing the path for the contract to be awarded to the highest bidder, South Asian Technologies.

The move could cost the state more than Rs. 500 million, with estimates suggesting the overall financial impact may approach Rs. 1 billion over the contract period.

The procurement process, already delayed by shifting tender conditions and bureaucratic hurdles, is now effectively stalled. Both rejected firms have filed appeals with the Procurement Appeal Board (PAB), contesting the decision to eliminate their bids.

The controversy centres on a test conducted by the University of Moratuwa (UOM), which reportedly found that aluminium samples submitted by Access International failed to meet the required “elongation at break” standard of 6%, recording only 3.59%. The same findings were used to disqualify Metropolitan Technologies.

The financial implications are stark. South Asian Technologies, now the only remaining bidder, has quoted Rs. 2.59 billion — Rs. 516 million higher than the lowest bid.