Four Interruptions Before a 3 p.m. Tender
You are stenographer to the Joint Director of a state department in Mantralaya, Mumbai. It is Friday, 11:30 a.m. The Joint Director is in a meeting with the Minister and cannot be disturbed. Four things arrive within ten minutes: a sealed envelope marked Confidential - Inquiry Committee; a telephone call from a supplier asking whether his tender has been approved; a peon brings a corrigendum to a tender that closes at 3:00 p.m. today; and an email from the Minister's PA asking for the latest status of a file. At 3:00 p.m. the Joint Director must chair a meeting, and you are to take minutes. The dispatch register is up to date. You have no authority to open confidential correspondence addressed to the Joint Director by name. You must decide the order of action, what to say to the supplier, and how to prepare the minutes.
1. Set the order in which you would handle the confidential envelope, the supplier's call, the corrigendum and the Minister's PA email. Give the reason for each position.
Read the worked answer
First the corrigendum, because the tender closes at 3:00 p.m. and a missed corrigendum cannot be undone; I would log it in the dispatch register, place it in the Joint Director's urgent tray and, if the office procedure allows, inform the tender cell immediately. Second, the sealed confidential envelope: I would enter it in the confidential register, keep it in the locked drawer and not open it, because it is addressed to the Joint Director by name. Third, the Minister's PA email: I would reply with factual status only, such as file under process; details will be sent after the Joint Director's approval, unless I am authorised to disclose more. Fourth, the supplier: a telephone call can wait, and it is the greatest risk of improper disclosure. At 3:00 p.m. I would be ready with the agenda, attendance sheet and previous minutes.
2. What would you say to the supplier, and what would you do if he asked whether the tender was approved just between us?
Read the worked answer
I would identify myself, take his name, firm and tender number, and say that the tender is under process and that he will be informed in writing after the competent authority decides. I would not say it is approved, it is rejected or you are likely to get it, because those statements create expectations and may be treated as an official assurance. If he says just between us, I would reply politely that I cannot discuss tender status on the telephone and that all bidders will receive the same written communication. I would note the time, the caller's number and the gist in the telephone register. If he becomes aggressive, I would offer to transfer the call to the tender cell rather than argue. Confidentiality is not only about files; it is also about what a junior stenographer says on the phone.
3. After the 3 p.m. meeting, draft the short email you would send to the supplier once the Joint Director approves the tender result, and state what you would not put in the minutes of the meeting.
Read the worked answer
Email draft: Subject: Tender No. ____ - outcome of technical evaluation. Dear Sir, With reference to your tender for ____, we inform you that the competent authority has approved the award of the work to M/s ____. The formal letter will follow. Please quote the tender number in all future correspondence. Yours faithfully, [name], for Joint Director. I would not disclose the price or the evaluation remarks unless the approved letter does so. In the minutes I would record the decisions, the attendance, the time and the agenda item, not the side remarks or a member's off the record comment. If a decision was taken, it must appear even if the discussion was heated. If the Director later asks to remove a comment, I would not silently alter the signed minutes; I would prepare a corrigendum with approval and retain the original.