GOVERNMENTOF INDIA

MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)

The General Managers,

All Indian RailWays

Sub":,Setting up of mechanized laundry for linen washing on BOOT model

Ref: Board's letter of even No. dated 17.12.09

With a view to improve upon the standards of cleanliness and hygiene in linen being
supplied to the passengers in trains, gUidefineswere issued to the Railways for setting up of
mechanized laundries in terms of Board's letter referred to above.

Further to above, standard guidelines and special conditions to be incorporated in the

tenders for setting up of mechanized laundries under the BOOT model are enclosed herewith
for being uniformly adopted over the Railways. Changes in the guidelines, considered
absolutely necessary owing to local conditions may be permitted with the personal concurrence
of FA & CAO and personal approval of the General Manager.

The tenders for setting up of such laundries shall be floated with due considerations to
the follOWing:

(i) A two-packet system of tendering shall be followed.

(ii) The eligibility criteria and other clauses of the tender related to security deposit,
performance bank guarantee, price variation clause and ,GCC etc. shall be governed by
the extant policy guidelines issued by Board.
(iii) Railways shall obtain legal clearance at Zonal level before floating the tender.
(iv) Concessions for water. and electricity should not impinge on the performance of the
Railways.
(v) A separate land lease agreement (as per enclosed draft) should be signed with the
contractor as a part of the principal agreement, and shall be concurrent and co-terminus
with the principal agreement.
(vi) Possession of land will revert back to Railways on expiry of lease period or
determination of Mechanized Laundry (Principal)/Iand lease agreement, whichever is
earlier.

This issues with the approval of Board(MM) and concurrence of the Finance Directorate
of Railway Board. ~

Encl: as above (ArvinaNjUtiyll)

Dir Mech~gg (Coaching)
Railway Board
 POLICY GUIDELINES AND SPECIAL CONDITIONS TO BE INCORPORATED
IN THE TENDERS FOR
SETTING UP OF AUTOMATED LAUNDRIES FOR LINEN UNDER, BOOT MODEL

Railways. meWassess the current requirements of linen sets required on a per day
basis, alsQ factoring in the anticipated growth of Traffic in the ensuing years and
accordingly identify the capacity and scale/design of equipment for the mechanized
laundries. The mechanized laundry equipment shall be of reputed make, generally in
line with those installed at Wadibunder Coaching DepotlCR. Wherever the daily
requirement of washed linen is high, say 7 Tons or above, batch washer system (tunnel
wash~r system) may also be considered by the Railways.

The Tender Document must specify the rated daily output of the laundry equipment
proposed to be installed.

A minimum workload of 75% of the average daily requir~ment (calculated on a monthly

basis) shall be the assured off take from the laundry and payments to the contractorfor
this volume shall be guaranteed, subject to penalties and other conditions for non
satisfactory performance. For workloads beyond this volume the payments shall be
made on actual.

The infrastructure and facilities to be provided by the contractor for setting up of the
mechanized laundry must have a cushion/margin to cater to an increase of upto 25% of
the estimated workload, during the currency of contract, without incurring any
additional cost.

2. Basic components of the automated laundry equipments/machines to be

supplied, installed and operated by the tenderer(s) (detailed specifications to be
developed by the Railways):

Washer cum Extractor

Tumbler drier
Flat bed ironer/Calendaring machine

• Should be capable to handle large volumes of linen optimizing on usage of

water, power, steam and chemicals with automatic transfer to the subsequent
stages.
• All the parts which come into contact with the wash load should be of
stainless steel SS 304 or superior material.
• AnJndustrial_compulec _control_system,based __
on_Windows_ software, __and _
capable of providing data reports as needed by the users, should support the
batch washer system. .
• The electrical circuitry should be capable of standing up to rough industrial
conditions.
• Featu~es such as automatic dosing of chemicals should be available.

~ The system should be equipped with a hydraulic press so that maximum

water extraction can be achieved without use of heat energy, thereby
enhancing the drying and ironing processes.
~ The extracted water, to the extent possible, should be reused in the batch
washer for washing in order to reduce consumption of .fresh water.
~ All parts in contact with linen should be of stainless steel 55 304 or superior
material.

• Drying system should be fitted with large capacity of pass-through dryers for
complete separating, conditioning and drying of laundry linen.
• System should avoid bunching of the linen at one end of the drier drums for
smooth and energy efficient drying and unloading processes.
• The drier drums should have Teflon or superior coating of the interior, to
avoid any plastic materials in the wash from sticking to the drum.
• Sprinkler should be provided which acts when temperature exceeds set limit
to avoid risk of fire.
• The dryers should have an automatic lint cleaning system.

Note: All the movements of linen from one equipment/stage to another

(batch washer-hydraulic press- dryers) should be carried out by means
of a mechanical conveyor system.

,/ The system should be fitted with Flatwork Ironers, sufficient for the projected
load. Each Ironer should come along with a feeder and a folder.
,/ The feeder and the folder should be capable of matching the maximum speed
of the Ironer.
,/ Ironers (Calendering machines) should have micro-processor-based variable
speed adjustment, in order to adjust ironing speed according to the moisture
content in the linen.
Commissioning of the laundry must be ensured within 2/5 months (for smaller capacity
laundries/tunnel washer systems respectively) from the issue of LOA.

Contract for setting up of an automated laundry on a BOOT scheme shall be for a

period of 10 (Ten) years (for smaller capacity laundries in line with the one installed at
Wadibunder coaching depotlCR) and15 (Fifteen) years (for batch or tunnel type
washer systems) after commissioning, after which the ownership of all the machines
and plant, ancillary equipment, utilities and fixed assets of the mechanized laundry
shall be transferred in good working condition to Railways without any extra cost /
charges and Railways shall be the absolute owner of the same.

The life of the automated laundry equipment should be certified by the OEM to be
more than the contract period so that the committed outturn and quality of linen
washing continues unhampered till the end of the contract. .

The mechanized laundry shall be used by the contractor only for carrying out work
required by the Railways. The facilities, under no circumstances, shall be used for any
other commercial/non-commercial purposes.

(a) Railways may assess the requirement of land for setting up of the automated
laundry of the envisaged capacitylworkload. The conditions for land lease shall
be governed as per land lease agreement which shall form part of the main
(principal) agreement, draft of which is enclosed with these guidelines. This land
lease agreement shall be signed by the contractor before taking over possession
of the land. The successful bidder will be provided requisite land by Railways at a
nominal lease charges of Rs. 1/- (one) per sqft. per annum for the entire period of
the contract. The contractor shall be liable for payment of conservancy charges
as applicable from time to time.
(b) Land lease agreement shall be concurrent and co-terminus with the principal
agreement.
(c) Possession of land will revert back to Railway on expiry of lease period or
determination of principal/land lease agreement whichever is earlier.
(d) In case, the contractor is found using railway land or allowing use of railway land
for any purpose other than that of executing the work as per contract, Railway
shall terminate the contract and take possession of land and all machinery,
equipments of the contractor without payment of compensation/claims thereof.
 Railwciys may supply water for operation of the mechanized laundry, up to the limit
quoted by the tenderer and at such charges as shall be determined by the Railways and
payable by the contractors.

. Water shall be supplied at a convenient point in the vicinity of the mechanized laundry
and storage / distribution pipe lines beyond this point shall be in the contractor's scope.
Any infrastructure, in addition to what is already available at such as water storage
tanks, sheds, drainage system, water recycling and water softening plants etc. will be
on contractor's account.

Railways shall install water meters at their own cost in order to assess the consumption.
The amount of water consumed by the tenderer as determined by Railways shall be
final and binding on the contractor for billing purpose.

As a standby arrangement, in the event of breakdown in Railway's supply of water, the

contractor shall have to make his own arrangement for water. The contractor shall not
.be entitled to any other compensation/relief for interruption or failure of the water supply.

Alternatively, in the event of Railways not at all being in a position to provide the
requisite amount of water, the contractor may be independently required to make
his own arrangements for water supply and associated systems, free from
Railway's obligations. Framing of the tender documents, cost estimates and
financial evaluation of the bids may be done accordingly by the Railways.

Railways may supply electricity for operation of the mechanized laundry, up to the limit
quoted by the tenderer and accepted by Railways and at such charges as shall be
determined by the Railways and payable by the contractor.

Electricity. shall be supplied at a convenient point in the vicinitY of the mechanized

laundry and distribution beyond this point shall be in the contractor's scope. Any
infrastruCture, in addition to what is already available at proposed location of laundry,
such as electrical installations, transformers, etc. will be on contractor's account.

Railways shall install electricity meters at their own cost in order to assess the
consumption. The amount of electricity consumed by the tenderer as determined by
Railways shall be final and binding on the contractor for billing purpose.

As a standby arrangement, in the event of breakdown in Railway's supply of electricity,

the contractor shall have to make his own arrangement for electricity. The contractor
shall not be entitled to any other compensation/relief for interruption or failure of the
electric supply.

~
_________A_lte_rn
__
a_ti_·veIYL
in the event of Railways not at all being in ap-0sl1:J9nto provide the
requisite amount of electrical energy, the contractor may be independently
required to make his own arrangements for the electrical supply and associated
systems, free from Railway's obligations. Framing of the tender documents, cost
estimates and financial evaluation of the bids may be done accordingly by the
Railways.

i. The contractor will be responsible for new procurement and commissioning of the
mechanized laundry equipment including all ancillary equipment and utilities,
Engineering and Electrical related works, maintenance of the machines including
. consumables and spare parts, and operation of the mechanized laundry, provision
of efficient drainage system connected to the main drainage system. Tenderers
may be advised to visit the proposed locations to assess the requirements and field
conditions prior to submission of the bids.

ii. The contractor shall ensure that all effluents from the mechanized laundry conform
to pollution control and other prescribed limits. Tenderer(s) shall have to coordinate
with Pollution Control and other statutory and non-statutory authorities and obtain
necessary clearances from these authorities as required for installation and
operation of the mechanized laundry and all aspects of the work awarded. The
tenderer(s) shall ensure timely renewal of these clearances during currency of the
contract.

iii. The tenderer shall furnish a certificate, valid upto the period of completion of
contract, from OEM or authorized agent/authorized dealer of OEM whose
equipment/machines he is proposing to install to the effect that they are willing and
committed to provide warranty and outside warranty support, AMC, supply and
frtment of spare parts/machine consumables, expeditiously attending to machine
break-downs, etc~ for ensuring successful operation of the mechanized laundry
during the life cycle of the machine.

iv. Contractor must ensure operations. of the laundry through skilled technical staff,
duly trained by the OEM of the laundry systems. A certification to this effect must
be obtained from the tenderer.

v. The Contractor must establish that he follows all Labour laws and makes payment
to his staff in accordance with relevant Acts through documentary evidence like copy
of returns filed for PF, ESI code No. etc.

vi. Contractor shall also provide adequate facility for storage of washed and packed
linen sets in compactors/racks made of stainless steeVother non corrosive materials
as per workload requirements. .
 vii. Each of the linen kit ~uly packed in environment friendlybag must be further packed
in water proof bags of adequate capacity and made available as such bag-sets to
the AC coach attendant/authorised personnel for linen distribution to the passengers
in tht;! trains. The transportation of linen between the laundry store and the coaching
Depot/platforms is to be carried out in elegant wheeled trolleys.

viii. In situations of extreme emergency due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the

control of the contractor (as certified by the Railways) when it is not possible to carry
out work at the laundry premises, the contractor may, with Railway's approval in
writing, outsource the work purely for a temporary period (for a maximum period of
one month at a time in a year), either partially or fully, to one or more external
agencies subject to all other terms and conditions of contract. The contractor shall
arrange to furnish an MOU with such firms to this effect, along with his tender.
However, even in such cases no dilution shall be allowed in the quality of washing /
ironing I packag'ing. The contractor shall further have to guarantee security of
Railway material when taken outside Railway premises for the purpose, by way of
Indemnity bond for requisite amount. The above arrangement shall be at no extra
cost to the Railways.

ix. If under any unforeseen circumstances, during the currency of the contract not later
than 4 years (for smaller capacity)17 years (for a tunnel type washer system) after
the commissioning of the laundry, the contractor is not in a position to operate the
laundry further and deliver the requirements as per contract, and wishes to free
himself of the obligations under the contract, he may do so by giving six months
notice to the Railway Administration to this effect. Uninterrupted supply of washed
linen as per the workload/requirements must however be ensured during this period.
He shall further be required to· de-commission all the laundry equipments and free
the Railway land within one month of the end of the notice period, failing which the
contractor shall have no further claim on the laundry equipment and the same shall
become the property of the Railways thereafter.

In all other cases of default by the contractor leading to termination of the contract,
the contractor shall have no claim on the laundry equipment (or land) and the same
shall become the property of the Railways in such an eventuality.

The provisions under the contract for forfeiture of security deposit, PSG etc. shall
however prevail in all such cases .

• Collection of used/soiled linen from AC coach attendants from the

platforms/washing lines and transportation to the laundry stores. Schedule of
arrival/departure of trains, No. of coaches where linen is to be collected
from/supplied to, quantitY of linen sets in each coach, the train-wise
place/location where the linen is to be collected from/supplied to etc. may be
detailed by the Railways in the tender. The changes, if any, in the train schedules
etc. shall be notified by the railways from time to time .
• Removal of tough stains caused by spillage of food & misuse etc.
 ._ Washing, drying, calendaring, ironing in the automated laundry
• Packing of linen sets in environment friendly bags and storage
• Supply and loading of washed linen sets to attendants in the AC coaches at
the washing lines/platforms.
• Maintaining proper accountal of linen items:

7. Quality of cleaning of linen items:

a. The average whiteness of new linen items (from different lots) after 5 washes shall be
taken as the base reference i.e. an index of 100%. The contractor must ensure at all
times a minimum level of whiteness index of 75 % for all the constituents of the linen
kit. The tenderer is also required to provide instruments for checking the whiteness of
linen and other quality related parameters as the case may be. The checking
instrument will be approved by the Railways. These instruments shall be calibrated at
regular intervars as mutually agreed and the calibration records shall be shown to the
Railways as and when demanded. Documentary evidence of meeting the quality
related standards shall be furnished, whenever called for by the Railways.

b. There should be no wrinkles or wetness after calendering. Hand towels should retain
their soft feel and water absorbing capacity. The washed linen should be hygienic,
bacteria free, stain free and odourless.

c. It is to be ensured that the washing procedures and cleaning agents used render a
minimum prescribed service life for new linen items (one year for Khadi bed sheets
supplied by ACASH and two years for Polyvastra bed sheets through KVIC etc.).
8. Inventory of washed bed rolls:
The contractor must make sure that used linen as unloaded from the trains, must be
washed and made available for train services within 48 hours.
Railways should make proper assessment of daily requirements of washed linen kits and
the contractor shall accordingly ensure enough buffer stock to cater to requirements of
at least 2 to 3 days so that train services are not effected in case of delayed/short supply
and also to take care of exigencies like running of special trains and augmentation of
train lengths of regular trains at short notices.

Test checks may be ensured on the washed linen kits in conformity with the
guidelines issues in terms of S. No. 2 of para 2.1 of Railways Board's letter
No.2009/M(C)1165/6 dated 4 .1.10. If during such sampling checks, it is detected that
the quality of washing / ironing of the same is not satisfactory, a penalty of RS.3/-
(Rs.three) per such article of linen may be imposed on the contractor apart from
nonpayment of the washing charges. Further in the event of rejection of more than
2% on account of poor washing/ironing, the quantity of that particular lot of linen shall
have to be washed again (for which no additional payment shall be made).
 M9nthly report of summary of· all inspections/ test checks carried by. Officers and
Supervisors, and penalties imposed as mentioned above or during any other surprise
inspection should be prepared and all payment released only after recovery of all the
penalties/ dues.

10. Other penalties for unsatisfactory performance

i. Mechanized laundry (for smaller capacity laundriesfTunnel washer system) not
being commissioned and made operational within a period of 2/5 months
respectively from the date of issue of Letter of Acceptance - penalty as per GCC
pertaining to Commencement of Work & Liquidated Damages shall be recovered
from the contractor.
ii. . The quantity of linen articles in the holding with the contractor, which is in excess
of the allowed quantity as decided shall attract penalty called Delay charges @
Rs. 0.50 per item of linen held in excess. The penalty of Delay charges shall be
calculated on a daily basis.
iii. Cost of linen items lost or damaged/torn while in contractor's custody and
attributed to him or when the minimum service life of one year is not attained,
may be recovered from the contractor as per rates circulated by Railway
authorities at that point of time. Railways decision as to whether such loss or
damage is on contractor's account shall be final and binding on the contractor.
iv. In the event of Passenger complaints regarding unsatisfactory quality of washing,
cleaning or ironing of linen, a penalty of Rs.2,000/- per occasion shall be
imposed on the contractor. In addition, the compensation awarded to the
complainant(s) in any court of law or consumer forum which is attributable to the
work carried out by the contractor under this contract agreement may be
recovered from the contractor at the discretion of Railways. The decision of the
Railway administration in this regard shall be final and binding on the contractor.
v. In the event of packaging of linen as specified is not done by the contractor's
staff, a penalty of Re. one per packet may be imposed on the contractor.
vi. In the event of the soiled/used linen not being unloaded from the incoming trains
and cleaned and washed linen not being loaded in the outgoing trains within the
prescribed time, for any reason attributable to the contractor, a penalty of Rs,
5,000/- per occasion may be imposed on the contractor. Tenderer(s) may note
that such instances may lead to late start of the trains and shall be viewed very
seriously by the Railway Administration.
vii. Penalty up to a maximum of Rs.1,000/- per occasion may be imposed on the
contractor in case any of the other contractual conditions are not adhered to, for
example, in the event of linen not transported in good quality water proof bags,
contractor's staff not wearing proper uniform, etc.

Passenger satisfaction and feedback is the essence of the Linen services. The
contractor shall make arrangements for making feedback forms available to the
passengers through the Departmental On Board AC Staff/ACe I who shall obtain
passenger feedback from at least 5 passengers per AC coach in each direction.
 ·The f()rmat of feedback form is· as under. One feedback shall also be taken from
TSITTE for each direction over and above that from passengers.

Penalty for unsatisfactory work, besides other penalties as laid down in the tender,
may also be based on the Passenger Feedback, after due verification of the
contents of the feedback from the passengers concerned by the respective
Coaching Depot Authority.

WASHED LINEN IN THIS TRAIN IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTOMATED LAUNDRY

SET UP BY MIS __ (NAME OF CONTRACTOR/FIRM AND TELEPHONE NO.)

Our endeavor is to provide you hygienic Linen services. Your valuable feedback would
help us improve further.

Kindly spare few minutes in rating the areas as given in table below:
Ratings:

5 = Excellent, 4 = Very Good, 3 = Good, 2 = Average 1 = Poor

Passenger Feedback-AC Coaches
SN Areas of Service 5 4 3 2 1
Please mark ( " ) in space
1 Cleaning I whiteness of Linen
2 Dryness of Linen
3 Ironing & Packing

Passenger Name:
Train No. :
Coach No.:
Berth' Seat No.:
PNR No.:
Date of Journey:
Telephone No.