You are the head of a committee which is to award a public contract for executing an important government programme in a district. Your immediate superior officer calls you and tells you that the application of a party X which is related to a prominent politician is to be favoured. This is to be done by citing technical deficiencies in the bids of other possible competitors. In case you disobey him he suggests that you will be transferred to a different station. Your response would be to,

2.5 marks for answer (b) 1 mark for answer (a) 1 mark for answer (d) 0 marks for answer (c) Rationale/ Reasoning (b) Examining the tenders on merits and awarding the contract is the best course of action. This way you comply with the rules and prevent delay in operationalising the government programme (option b) (a) Re-tendering may show to your superior officer that you are not going to succumb to illegal demands and pressures, but will delay the operationalisation of government programme. Besides, such pressures can be exerted in the next tender also. Thus your decision may not help the situation at all and only defer the problem. (option a) (d) Black-listing the party will be a difficult option unless there is cogent recordable evidence to establish malpractice or violation of rules. Verbal direction of a superior authority may not be sufficient evidence. Besides, selfish motives can be ascribed to you for such an act. Thus, though the act may be right in spirit, it may misfire or backfire. (option b) (c) Option ‘c’ will be patently wrong, as this would be succumbing to pressure for doing an act against government rules, merely to avoid personal inconvenience on account of threat of transfer. Principles/Values tested Upholding government norms and rules and not succumbing to pressures to do an illegal act or an act which is against the government norms and rules.