INTERNAL VIGILANCE REFERRAL — Cartel-Suspect Pair, Tender HC/APCRDA/2026/PROC/001

CLASSIFICATION: INTERNAL — VIGILANCE EYES ONLY

Date: 2026-05-12

To: Vigilance Officer, AP State Procurement Department

Copy to: Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO), Anti-Collusion Cell

Tender: Andhra Pradesh High Court complex

NIT No.: HC/APCRDA/2026/PROC/001

Estimated Contract Value: ₹365.16 crore

Sir/Madam,

This referral concerns a suspected cartel/collusion pair detected by the automated cross-bid anomaly detector during evaluation of the captioned tender. The pair has been flagged at HIGH severity with HIGH detection confidence.

Implicated bidders

• M/s Cartel Alpha Construction Pvt Ltd
• M/s Cartel Beta Construction Pvt Ltd

Detected collusion signals

1. SHARED_ADDRESS (HIGH)

• Evidence: Both bidders' communication_address = '4-7-89, Industrial Estate, Guntur-522001'
• Citation: CVC OM No 8(1)(h)/98(1) — Vigilance Aspects in Procurement; AP procurement collusion norms

1. MATCHED_SIGNATORY (MEDIUM)

• Evidence: Signatories share 'R.' prefix: A='Mr. R. Sharma', B='Mr. R. Patel'
• Citation: CVC OM No 8(1)(h)/98(1) — Vigilance Aspects in Procurement; AP procurement collusion norms

1. COMMON_BANK_BRANCH (LOW)

• Evidence: Both BGs issued by 'State Bank of India, Vijayawada Main Branch'
• Citation: CVC OM No 8(1)(h)/98(1) — Vigilance Aspects in Procurement; AP procurement collusion norms

1. SEQUENTIAL_BIDS (MEDIUM)

• Evidence: Premium deltas within 0.05% (A=-3.1%, B=-3.05%) at adjacent ranks L4+L5
• Citation: CVC OM No 8(1)(h)/98(1) — Vigilance Aspects in Procurement; AP procurement collusion norms

Cross-tender pattern

This pair shows the identical signal pattern across 3 of 3 tenders evaluated in this batch — strongly suggestive of a systemic collusion arrangement rather than isolated bid coincidence. Cross-tender consistency at this rate elevates severity to HIGH per CVC anti-collusion detection norms.

Detector decision

CARTEL_SUSPECT — M/s Cartel Alpha Construction Pvt Ltd + M/s Cartel Beta Construction Pvt Ltd share 4 signal(s) (SHARED_ADDRESS + MATCHED_SIGNATORY + COMMON_BANK_BRANCH + SEQUENTIAL_BIDS); cross-tender consistency: pair QUALIFIED on 3 of 3 tender(s)

Detector recommendation

Refer pair to evaluation committee for cartel review per CVC anti-cartel norms; consider rejecting both bids or requiring independent affidavits.

Vigilance action requested

Per CVC OM Vigilance Aspects on Public Procurement (No. 005/CRD/19 and successor OMs), the recommended vigilance actions are:

1. Defer L1 award decision on the captioned tender pending vigilance review
2. Cross-reference the implicated bidders' history with prior procurement awards (last 3 years) for repeated joint participation
3. Investigate for the identified collusion signals (shared signatory patterns, identical EMD bank-branch, address proximity, premium-delta clustering)
4. Issue notice to both bidders requesting clarification under AP State Procurement Rules + CVC anti-collusion norms
5. Consider blacklist proceedings if vigilance confirms collusion (per AP GO Ms No. 094 / 2003 blacklisting framework)

This referral is internal and confidential. The implicated bidders have NOT been notified of this referral. Standard regret letters (REGRET) have been issued to them on the basis of non-L1 ranking; the underlying cartel signal is reserved for vigilance review.

Yours faithfully,

Tender Scrutiny Committee Secretariat

(Internal communication generated by SYSTEM)

Drilldown reference:

• BidAnomalyFinding node_id: 54544d7e-9af7-4af3-95eb-8edb5d9b51c1
• Anomaly class: CARTEL_SUSPECT
• Severity: HIGH; confidence: HIGH
• Signals: 4 (see itemised list above)
• Cross-tender appearances: 3 of 3 tenders