Lotus Switch: Prasad’s Cousin Bid for Nabavatu Through New Company While Relying on 28 Villas Built by Lotus (Fiji) to Prove Capacity
 Sunil Chand Sunil Chand, the cousin and business partner of former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad in Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd, later established a new company, Lotus Projects (Pte) Ltd, under his sole control to bid for the Nabavatu relocation project. Rather than submitting the tender through the earlier joint venture, he relied on this newly formed entity, even as he cited the construction of 28 villas by Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd as proof of his capacity to deliver the Nabavatu housing development. Biman Prasad had failed to declare in his statutory declarations that he was one of two directors of Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd. |  |
Lotus Switch: Sunil Chand Bid for Nabavatu Through New Company
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The Letter That Backed the Bid: Naidu’s Formal Support for Nabavatu Relocation Project Naidu The Letter of Intent issued by Adish Naidu, as Director of Yellow Architects, formed a central pillar of Sunil Chand’s Nabavatu tender submission. Dated 15 July 2024 and addressed to Lotus Projects Pte Ltd, the letter formally confirmed that Yellow Architects intended to act as project architects for the proposed rural housing development under the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development. It explicitly aligned Naidu’s firm with the delivery of a government-linked relocation project in Vanua Levu, signalling that the architectural component of the bid had been secured at an early stage. In its contents, the letter went further than a neutral expression of interest. It stated that Yellow Architects had extensive experience across Fiji in commercial, residential, and hospitality projects, and that the firm “fully supported” Lotus Projects’ proposal to tender for the Nabavatu development. By doing so, Naidu’s letter did not merely confirm availability. It endorsed the bid itself. That endorsement helped present the proposal as professionally grounded and technically credible, even though the submission would later fail at the financial compliance stage when the bidder Chand could not produce the required audited accounts. |   |
FROM CYCLONE DEVASTATION TO FAILED TENDER: INSIDE SUNIL CHAND’S NABAVATU PROPOSAL
The Nabavatu housing project was born out of disaster. It was not an ordinary construction opportunity. It was a state-backed relocation effort for families displaced by cyclones and landslides, many of whom had been living in tents for years after losing their homes.
Following Tropical Cyclones Yasa and Ana between 2020 and 2021, severe land instability and flooding rendered the original village unsafe, forcing the evacuation of dozens of households. By 2025, the Coalition government had committed millions of dollars to relocate the community and construct 37 new homes with full infrastructure .
It was into this humanitarian and national development context that Sunil Chand, through Lotus Projects Pte Ltd, submitted his proposal. What followed was not merely a failed tender. It was a case that reveals the gap between ambition and compliance, between presentation and eligibility, and between private proposals and public responsibility.
A Proposal Built on Urgency and Opportunity
Chand’s submission positioned Lotus Projects as the delivery vehicle for an approximately $5.29 million relocation project, offering to construct 37 cyclone-resilient homes. The proposal emphasised speed, coordination, and technical capability. It promised a 46-week delivery timeline, backed by a workforce of engineers, labourers, and subcontractors. In substance, it aligned with the government’s urgent need to move displaced villagers out of temporary shelters and into permanent housing.
The Human Context Behind the Bid
This was not just another contract. The beneficiaries were families displaced by cyclone-triggered landslides and flooding, residents who had spent years in temporary accommodation, and a community whose original village had been declared unsafe for habitation Government statements made clear that the objective was not only to build houses, but to restore safety, dignity, and long-term resilience. This context matters.It transforms the tender from a commercial exercise into a public interest obligation, where the margin for error is significantly reduced.
The Architecture of the Bid
Chand’s proposal was structured around a network model. At its core, Lotus Projects Pte Ltd acted as the coordinating entity. External consultants provided technical expertise. And subcontractors were engaged for specialised works. A key component was the involvement of Adish Naidu, whose firm Yellow Architects issued a formal Letter of Intent confirming its role as project architect . Additional letters of support were provided by suppliers, subcontractors, and professional associates. Together, these elements created the appearance of a fully assembled delivery team.
Strength in Narrative, Weakness in Structure
The proposal’s strength lay in its narrative. Chand presented himself as a builder with experience in Australia, a figure rooted in the Dreketi community, and contractor capable of mobilising local labour. Testimonials reinforced his credibility, describing his past projects and commitment to quality.
But beneath this narrative, the structure revealed vulnerabilities. The company relied heavily on external partners. Core functions were outsourced rather than internalised. Institutional depth was limited relative to the project scale. This created a bid that was persuasive in presentation but less robust in organisational terms.
The Compliance Gap That Changed Everything
The decisive issue, however, lay elsewhere. The Ministry’s clarification made clear that Lotus Projects had failed to provide (1) Audited financial statements; (2) Key administrative and compliance documents; (3) Evidence required at the threshold stage of evaluation.
In procurement terms, this is fatal. No matter how strong the proposal appears, a failure to meet mandatory compliance requirements, prevents full evaluation, and disqualifies the bidder from progression This was not a marginal issue. It went to the core eligibility of the bid.
The Role of Adish Naidu in Context
Naidu’s involvement strengthened the architectural dimension of the proposal. His Letter of Intent confirmed professional alignment. It added design credibility, and positioned the project within recognised architectural standards. But it also highlighted a broader issue.
The project depended on external expertise to fill internal gaps. Even with a registered architect on board, the submission could not overcome deficiencies in financial compliance.
From Proposal to Outcome
While the government relocation project itself moved forward under other arrangements, the Lotus submission did not succeed.
The reasons are now clear. The proposal addressed a genuine national need, presented a technically viable plan, and assembled a credible network of partners. But it failed to meet the basic evidentiary requirements required to secure a public contract.
Sunil Chand’s Nabavatu proposal, supported by Adish Naidu, stands as a case study in the difference between building a project and qualifying to deliver it. It was a bid shaped by urgency created by climate disaster, personal credibility and community connection, and a network of professional collaborators Yet in the end, it fell short where it mattered most.
In a project designed to house cyclone victims and restore a displaced community, the standard was not ambition. It was proof.
And without that proof, the proposal could not stand.
The Nabavatu housing project was born out of disaster. It was not an ordinary construction opportunity. It was a state-backed relocation effort for families displaced by cyclones and landslides, many of whom had been living in tents for years after losing their homes.
Following Tropical Cyclones Yasa and Ana between 2020 and 2021, severe land instability and flooding rendered the original village unsafe, forcing the evacuation of dozens of households. By 2025, the Coalition government had committed millions of dollars to relocate the community and construct 37 new homes with full infrastructure .
It was into this humanitarian and national development context that Sunil Chand, through Lotus Projects Pte Ltd, submitted his proposal. What followed was not merely a failed tender. It was a case that reveals the gap between ambition and compliance, between presentation and eligibility, and between private proposals and public responsibility.
A Proposal Built on Urgency and Opportunity
Chand’s submission positioned Lotus Projects as the delivery vehicle for an approximately $5.29 million relocation project, offering to construct 37 cyclone-resilient homes. The proposal emphasised speed, coordination, and technical capability. It promised a 46-week delivery timeline, backed by a workforce of engineers, labourers, and subcontractors. In substance, it aligned with the government’s urgent need to move displaced villagers out of temporary shelters and into permanent housing.
The Human Context Behind the Bid
This was not just another contract. The beneficiaries were families displaced by cyclone-triggered landslides and flooding, residents who had spent years in temporary accommodation, and a community whose original village had been declared unsafe for habitation Government statements made clear that the objective was not only to build houses, but to restore safety, dignity, and long-term resilience. This context matters.It transforms the tender from a commercial exercise into a public interest obligation, where the margin for error is significantly reduced.
The Architecture of the Bid
Chand’s proposal was structured around a network model. At its core, Lotus Projects Pte Ltd acted as the coordinating entity. External consultants provided technical expertise. And subcontractors were engaged for specialised works. A key component was the involvement of Adish Naidu, whose firm Yellow Architects issued a formal Letter of Intent confirming its role as project architect . Additional letters of support were provided by suppliers, subcontractors, and professional associates. Together, these elements created the appearance of a fully assembled delivery team.
Strength in Narrative, Weakness in Structure
The proposal’s strength lay in its narrative. Chand presented himself as a builder with experience in Australia, a figure rooted in the Dreketi community, and contractor capable of mobilising local labour. Testimonials reinforced his credibility, describing his past projects and commitment to quality.
But beneath this narrative, the structure revealed vulnerabilities. The company relied heavily on external partners. Core functions were outsourced rather than internalised. Institutional depth was limited relative to the project scale. This created a bid that was persuasive in presentation but less robust in organisational terms.
The Compliance Gap That Changed Everything
The decisive issue, however, lay elsewhere. The Ministry’s clarification made clear that Lotus Projects had failed to provide (1) Audited financial statements; (2) Key administrative and compliance documents; (3) Evidence required at the threshold stage of evaluation.
In procurement terms, this is fatal. No matter how strong the proposal appears, a failure to meet mandatory compliance requirements, prevents full evaluation, and disqualifies the bidder from progression This was not a marginal issue. It went to the core eligibility of the bid.
The Role of Adish Naidu in Context
Naidu’s involvement strengthened the architectural dimension of the proposal. His Letter of Intent confirmed professional alignment. It added design credibility, and positioned the project within recognised architectural standards. But it also highlighted a broader issue.
The project depended on external expertise to fill internal gaps. Even with a registered architect on board, the submission could not overcome deficiencies in financial compliance.
From Proposal to Outcome
While the government relocation project itself moved forward under other arrangements, the Lotus submission did not succeed.
The reasons are now clear. The proposal addressed a genuine national need, presented a technically viable plan, and assembled a credible network of partners. But it failed to meet the basic evidentiary requirements required to secure a public contract.
Sunil Chand’s Nabavatu proposal, supported by Adish Naidu, stands as a case study in the difference between building a project and qualifying to deliver it. It was a bid shaped by urgency created by climate disaster, personal credibility and community connection, and a network of professional collaborators Yet in the end, it fell short where it mattered most.
In a project designed to house cyclone victims and restore a displaced community, the standard was not ambition. It was proof.
And without that proof, the proposal could not stand.
The Naidu Question
The Nabavatu documents leave one final issue that cannot be avoided. It concerns not legality in the strict sense, but professional judgment. Adish Naidu did not submit the bid. He was not the contracting party. He bore no legal obligation to provide audited accounts or to satisfy the Ministry’s financial requirements. Those responsibilities rested with Sunil Chand and Lotus Projects Pte Ltd.
Yet Naidu did something that carries weight in any procurement setting. He issued a formal Letter of Intent, committing his firm to act as project architect in support of a multi-million dollar public tender. That act was not neutral. It signalled professional endorsement. It strengthened the bid at the early stage. It helped present the proposal as technically credible and ready for delivery.
The question therefore shifts from legal duty to professional responsibility. A registered architect, particularly one operating across jurisdictions, is expected to exercise not only technical competence but also sound judgment. This includes an awareness of the context in which professional services are offered. It includes a duty to avoid lending credibility to proposals that may not meet basic thresholds of viability. This does not require an audit of accounts. It does require a minimum level of prudence.
At the time Naidu aligned Yellow Architects with the Nabavatu proposal, the project was (1) Government-linked (2) Valued at over five million dollars, and (3) Intended to house families displaced by natural disasters
In such circumstances, the expectation is not that a consultant verifies every financial detail, but that he satisfies himself that the bidder is capable of meeting fundamental requirements. The subsequent failure of the Lotus bid did not occur at the level of design. It occurred at the level of compliance. The company could not produce the required financial records. The proposal, having passed the initial stage, could not proceed further.
This sequence creates a legitimate question. If professional support helped the bid move forward, should there have been greater caution before that support was given? The point is not to assign legal liability. It is to recognise the influence that professional alignment carries within a tender process. When a respected practitioner lends his name to a project, that endorsement has consequences. In the Nabavatu case, the consequence was that a proposal gained early credibility but failed at a later and more fundamental hurdle.
The Naidu question therefore remains: When does professional support for a project become a responsibility to ensure that the project itself is capable of standing on its own?
The Nabavatu documents leave one final issue that cannot be avoided. It concerns not legality in the strict sense, but professional judgment. Adish Naidu did not submit the bid. He was not the contracting party. He bore no legal obligation to provide audited accounts or to satisfy the Ministry’s financial requirements. Those responsibilities rested with Sunil Chand and Lotus Projects Pte Ltd.
Yet Naidu did something that carries weight in any procurement setting. He issued a formal Letter of Intent, committing his firm to act as project architect in support of a multi-million dollar public tender. That act was not neutral. It signalled professional endorsement. It strengthened the bid at the early stage. It helped present the proposal as technically credible and ready for delivery.
The question therefore shifts from legal duty to professional responsibility. A registered architect, particularly one operating across jurisdictions, is expected to exercise not only technical competence but also sound judgment. This includes an awareness of the context in which professional services are offered. It includes a duty to avoid lending credibility to proposals that may not meet basic thresholds of viability. This does not require an audit of accounts. It does require a minimum level of prudence.
At the time Naidu aligned Yellow Architects with the Nabavatu proposal, the project was (1) Government-linked (2) Valued at over five million dollars, and (3) Intended to house families displaced by natural disasters
In such circumstances, the expectation is not that a consultant verifies every financial detail, but that he satisfies himself that the bidder is capable of meeting fundamental requirements. The subsequent failure of the Lotus bid did not occur at the level of design. It occurred at the level of compliance. The company could not produce the required financial records. The proposal, having passed the initial stage, could not proceed further.
This sequence creates a legitimate question. If professional support helped the bid move forward, should there have been greater caution before that support was given? The point is not to assign legal liability. It is to recognise the influence that professional alignment carries within a tender process. When a respected practitioner lends his name to a project, that endorsement has consequences. In the Nabavatu case, the consequence was that a proposal gained early credibility but failed at a later and more fundamental hurdle.
The Naidu question therefore remains: When does professional support for a project become a responsibility to ensure that the project itself is capable of standing on its own?
The Yellow Architects Question:
A Pattern Across Government and FNPF Tenders
On 25 July 2024, Adish Naidu supported the Lotus Projects Pte Ltd tender bid for a government ministry project, presenting himself as operating under Yellow Architects. Less than a year later, on 30 June 2025, he again appeared in a professional capacity, this time supporting NAL’s tender bid to build the FNPF warehouse in Raiwaqa, once more identifying himself as Yellow Architects.
The two tenders are entirely separate. The Lotus bid was a government ministry process, while the Raiwaqa warehouse tender relates to FNPF. There is no institutional overlap between them. Yet what connects both processes is the consistent use of Yellow Architects as the professional vehicle.
That is where the difficulty arises.
Records from the Registrar of Companies show that Yellow Architects is listed as “ceased”, and the system itself indicates that the company’s file is not available online and requires a manual search. This creates a direct and material question:
When did Yellow Architects cease operations?
The timeline is critical. If the entity had already ceased prior to July 2024 or June 2025, then its use in either tender process raises the prospect of misrepresentation of corporate status and professional capacity. The issue does not depend on whether the tender was run by a ministry or by FNPF. It turns on whether the entity being presented to procuring authorities was legally in existence at the time.
This concern is sharpened by the fact that since April 2023 he has been a sitting FNPF Board Director. Even though the Lotus tender is unrelated to FNPF, participation in public procurement processes under a possibly defunct corporate identity raises broader questions about compliance, disclosure, and governance standards expected of a statutory office holder.
The matter therefore reduces to a single unresolved point of fact with wider implications:
Until the Registrar produces the full company file and confirms the cessation timeline, there remains a clear discrepancy between official records and real-world representation in public tenders
A Pattern Across Government and FNPF Tenders
On 25 July 2024, Adish Naidu supported the Lotus Projects Pte Ltd tender bid for a government ministry project, presenting himself as operating under Yellow Architects. Less than a year later, on 30 June 2025, he again appeared in a professional capacity, this time supporting NAL’s tender bid to build the FNPF warehouse in Raiwaqa, once more identifying himself as Yellow Architects.
The two tenders are entirely separate. The Lotus bid was a government ministry process, while the Raiwaqa warehouse tender relates to FNPF. There is no institutional overlap between them. Yet what connects both processes is the consistent use of Yellow Architects as the professional vehicle.
That is where the difficulty arises.
Records from the Registrar of Companies show that Yellow Architects is listed as “ceased”, and the system itself indicates that the company’s file is not available online and requires a manual search. This creates a direct and material question:
When did Yellow Architects cease operations?
The timeline is critical. If the entity had already ceased prior to July 2024 or June 2025, then its use in either tender process raises the prospect of misrepresentation of corporate status and professional capacity. The issue does not depend on whether the tender was run by a ministry or by FNPF. It turns on whether the entity being presented to procuring authorities was legally in existence at the time.
This concern is sharpened by the fact that since April 2023 he has been a sitting FNPF Board Director. Even though the Lotus tender is unrelated to FNPF, participation in public procurement processes under a possibly defunct corporate identity raises broader questions about compliance, disclosure, and governance standards expected of a statutory office holder.
The matter therefore reduces to a single unresolved point of fact with wider implications:
- On what date did Yellow Architects cease?
- Was it still legally operational when it was used in the 2024 and 2025 tenders?
Until the Registrar produces the full company file and confirms the cessation timeline, there remains a clear discrepancy between official records and real-world representation in public tenders
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THE THREE-YEAR TEST LOTUS COULD NOT MEET
The Ministry of Rural & Maritime Development And Disaster Management's own Tender Clarification (TC-01) document makes the problem plain. Under the Compliance & Financial section, Lotus Projects Pte Ltd was required to submit audited financial reports for 2022 and 2023, alongside broader financial credentials. Yet this requirement exposed a fundamental flaw in the bid. The company had only been incorporated on 13 February 2023, meaning it simply did not have the financial history to satisfy the Ministry’s request for multi-year audited accounts. In effect, the tender demanded proof of financial capacity that the company, by its very recent formation, could not possibly provide.
This was not a minor omission. It went to the heart of eligibility. While the proposal was supported by professional partners and past projects undertaken under a different corporate entity, the bidding company itself failed the most basic compliance threshold. The Ministry’s document clearly shows that financial statements were a mandatory requirement. Lotus Projects’ inability to produce them was therefore not just a gap. It was the decisive reason the bid could not proceed.
The Ministry of Rural & Maritime Development And Disaster Management's own Tender Clarification (TC-01) document makes the problem plain. Under the Compliance & Financial section, Lotus Projects Pte Ltd was required to submit audited financial reports for 2022 and 2023, alongside broader financial credentials. Yet this requirement exposed a fundamental flaw in the bid. The company had only been incorporated on 13 February 2023, meaning it simply did not have the financial history to satisfy the Ministry’s request for multi-year audited accounts. In effect, the tender demanded proof of financial capacity that the company, by its very recent formation, could not possibly provide.
This was not a minor omission. It went to the heart of eligibility. While the proposal was supported by professional partners and past projects undertaken under a different corporate entity, the bidding company itself failed the most basic compliance threshold. The Ministry’s document clearly shows that financial statements were a mandatory requirement. Lotus Projects’ inability to produce them was therefore not just a gap. It was the decisive reason the bid could not proceed.
From Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd to Lotus Projects (Pte) Ltd
The Lotus story had begun earlier. In March 2014, Sunil Chand and his cousin Biman Prasad had formed Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd and developed villa units at Legalega in Nadi. That project later became central to Chand’s narrative of experience and capability. By the time the Nabavatu project emerged, Chand did not submit the tender through Lotus Construction. Instead, he relied on a newly incorporated entity, Lotus Projects Pte Ltd, registered on 13 February 2023 . The company records showed that it operated as a private company based in Legalega, with Chand acting as sole director, company secretary, and shareholder, holding complete control over the entity. This shift marked a clear change in corporate form, even as the underlying narrative remained anchored in earlier work.
The Lotus story had begun earlier. In March 2014, Sunil Chand and his cousin Biman Prasad had formed Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd and developed villa units at Legalega in Nadi. That project later became central to Chand’s narrative of experience and capability. By the time the Nabavatu project emerged, Chand did not submit the tender through Lotus Construction. Instead, he relied on a newly incorporated entity, Lotus Projects Pte Ltd, registered on 13 February 2023 . The company records showed that it operated as a private company based in Legalega, with Chand acting as sole director, company secretary, and shareholder, holding complete control over the entity. This shift marked a clear change in corporate form, even as the underlying narrative remained anchored in earlier work.
*HOW A Legal Demand By His Co-Director in Lotus (Fiji) Ltd provided irrefutable documentary evidence that Biman Prasad lied in his statutory declaration in 2014 to enter Parliament after the general election
THE ARCHITECT IN THE LOTUS TRIANGLE: NAIDU’S QUIET LINK TO CHAND AND PRASAD
Adish Naidu (AN) was not a peripheral figure but part of a broader network linking Sunil Chand and Biman Prasad through overlapping business and project interests. While Prasad and Chand formally operated as co-directors in Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd, Naidu appears in associated project documentation as an architectural participant and later as a key professional figure connected to bids and developments tied to the same network. This connection becomes significant when placed alongside the Nabavatu tender and related developments. Chand’s new vehicle, Lotus Projects Pte Ltd, relied on past Lotus Construction projects involving Prasad to establish credibility, while Naidu’s professional role, through architectural endorsements and participation, effectively bridged the technical and corporate sides of the arrangement. The result is a triangular relationship in which Prasad (political authority), Chand (developer), and Naidu (architect and board-level figure) intersected across projects, raising continuing questions about disclosure, proximity, and the integrity of procurement processes.
Adish Naidu (AN) was not a peripheral figure but part of a broader network linking Sunil Chand and Biman Prasad through overlapping business and project interests. While Prasad and Chand formally operated as co-directors in Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd, Naidu appears in associated project documentation as an architectural participant and later as a key professional figure connected to bids and developments tied to the same network. This connection becomes significant when placed alongside the Nabavatu tender and related developments. Chand’s new vehicle, Lotus Projects Pte Ltd, relied on past Lotus Construction projects involving Prasad to establish credibility, while Naidu’s professional role, through architectural endorsements and participation, effectively bridged the technical and corporate sides of the arrangement. The result is a triangular relationship in which Prasad (political authority), Chand (developer), and Naidu (architect and board-level figure) intersected across projects, raising continuing questions about disclosure, proximity, and the integrity of procurement processes.
Sunil Chand Relied on Lotus Company History and Personal Track Record to Pitch Nabavatu Relocation Project as His Australian Company Later Faced Winding Up Application Over Alleged $1 Million Debt
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PATRONAGE POLITICS AND THE NAVABATU TENDER BID:
Touting Chiefs and Community Ties
In support of his bid for the Nabavatu housing project, Sunil Chand submitted a letter asserting his close, long-standing ties to the local chief and Dreketi community, claiming this made him an “ideal contractor” for the project. This appeal to traditional authority, in effect, invoking the Vunivalu Tui Dreketi, Ratu Maika Rokobatidua, appears to have been an attempt to sway decision-makers using social standing and chiefly relationships rather than merit, technical qualifications, or capacity.
Such a basis for awarding a public housing contract would be wholly improper, especially for a project of significant humanitarian and economic importance. Under Fiji’s procurement principles, which reflect both the Fiji Procurement Regulations and international good practice, tender awards must be grounded in transparency, competitiveness, fairness, and value for money. Nowhere do traditional or personal affiliations with community leaders constitute valid evaluation criteria.
Touting Chiefs and Community Ties
In support of his bid for the Nabavatu housing project, Sunil Chand submitted a letter asserting his close, long-standing ties to the local chief and Dreketi community, claiming this made him an “ideal contractor” for the project. This appeal to traditional authority, in effect, invoking the Vunivalu Tui Dreketi, Ratu Maika Rokobatidua, appears to have been an attempt to sway decision-makers using social standing and chiefly relationships rather than merit, technical qualifications, or capacity.
Such a basis for awarding a public housing contract would be wholly improper, especially for a project of significant humanitarian and economic importance. Under Fiji’s procurement principles, which reflect both the Fiji Procurement Regulations and international good practice, tender awards must be grounded in transparency, competitiveness, fairness, and value for money. Nowhere do traditional or personal affiliations with community leaders constitute valid evaluation criteria.
LOTUS WILTS IN AUSTRALIA: The winding up application against Lotus Constructions Pty Ltd was filed 29 January 2026 in Australia and set for hearing on 11 February 2026 , which is after the Nabavatu tender process in July 2024. The tender bid had failed because Sunil Chand couldn't furnish financial records for three consecutive years.
