Honestly, I am disappointed.

And I am saying this not merely as a bidder, but as a Goan entrepreneur who has spent years building a waste management company in Goa.

Yesterday, our Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant spoke about the enormous opportunity in waste management and encouraged Goans to participate and build businesses in this sector.

I completely agree with him.

But when I look at the current GWMC tender for dry waste collection, I genuinely struggle to understand how existing Goan companies are expected to grow.

The tender requires a minimum annual turnover of ₹6 crore for the last three years, while simultaneously requiring the bidder to have completed either one project of ₹16 crore, two projects of ₹12 crore or three projects of ₹8 crore.

This very issue was raised during the pre-bid.

If the minimum turnover qualification is ₹6 crore, how is a company with that turnover expected to have already executed a ₹16 crore project?

And this is for dry waste collection and transportation. It is not a highly technical project requiring such a disproportionate previous project value.

Why can't relevant waste-management experience, manpower, equipment, financial capability and demonstrated performance be considered instead?

But what is even more difficult to understand is the apparent inconsistency in eligibility conditions across GWMC tenders.

There is another GWMC tender concerning food waste to CBG, which is technically far more complex — involving technology, plant design, processing capacity, operations and performance.

Yet, in that case, if the eligibility criteria have been relaxed or accepted for a bidder whose previous plant capacity and turnover are below the stated tender requirement, then I have a very simple question:

If the eligibility conditions can be relaxed or interpreted differently for a technically complex CBG project, why can't similar flexibility be considered for Goan entrepreneurs in a relatively less technical dry-waste collection contract?

What is the principle being followed?

When are eligibility criteria rigid, and when are they flexible?

And if it is within the authority's capacity to provide such flexibility, why can't the same approach be adopted to create a genuine opportunity for capable Goan companies?

I am not asking for any company to be disqualified.

I am asking for consistency, transparency and a level playing field.

We have been building this business in Goa for years.

We started here. We created employment here. We invested here. We developed capabilities here. And today, we have also demonstrated our ability to execute projects outside Goa.

But every time an opportunity comes up in our own state, we seem to face eligibility conditions that make it extremely difficult for local companies to participate.

How does a Goan company become a ₹20 crore, ₹50 crore or ₹100 crore company if it has to already have executed projects of that scale before being allowed to participate?

You cannot ask a local entrepreneur to become big before giving him an opportunity to become big.

We are not asking for preferential treatment because we are Goan.

We are asking for a fair chance to compete because we have the capability.

If we fail on technical capability, let us lose.

If we fail on financial capability, let us lose.

If another company can execute the work better, let them win.

But please don't create qualification conditions that prevent capable local companies from even entering the competition.

And I genuinely want to ask the authorities another question:

What happened to the Goan waste-management companies that were working in this sector even before GWMC was established?

How are we protecting and nurturing them?

How are we creating the next generation of Goan waste-management entrepreneurs?

GWMC itself has created an empanelment framework for agencies and contractors to provide waste-management services across Goa.

So what is the purpose of building such an ecosystem if, when major opportunities come up, the eligibility conditions effectively favour companies that have already executed much larger projects elsewhere?

I am not against companies from outside Goa.

Let them come.

Let them compete.

Let the best capable company win.

But please don't build a system where a Goan company is expected to prove itself outside Goa before it is allowed to prove itself in Goa.

If our experience is insufficient, tell us.

If our turnover is insufficient, tell us.

If our technology or manpower is insufficient, tell us.

We will learn. We will improve. We will grow.

But give us the opportunity to do so.

My frustration is not about losing one tender.

It is about the larger question:

Are we actually building a Goan waste-management industry, or are we simply creating a market in Goa for companies that are already big outside Goa?

Yesterday's statement by the Hon’ble Chief Minister gives entrepreneurs like us hope.

I sincerely hope the tendering process reflects that same vision.

Please review these eligibility conditions. Please explain the rationale. And, most importantly, please ensure that the rules are applied consistently to everyone.

We don't want a favour.

We want an opportunity.

And if we are not good enough, let the market decide that, not the eligibility clause.