Satyam board is believed to have laid down some basic norms for the winner of the bid, including no sale of the company's assets for three years, not to pledge them to raise debt, no sudden lay-off of employees and should have enough cash on hand to infuse immediately.
These are the mainframe of the Requests-For-Proposal (RFP) among others that the board sent to the registered bidders on Friday night.
Chairman of the board Kiran Karnik told PTI: "We have sent RFP to all the registered bidders. The board is taking all steps to do it (stake sale) as soon as possible... We are on track with our internal deadline." He refrained from revealing the time-line set by the board, though sources said deadline could be anytime in April.
Meanwhile, the bidders are also getting their act together to reply to RFP. IGate Chief Phaneesh Murthy is in India presumably to see the process himself though the company said it is his routine visit.
According to a bidder, who has signed up, the board has made it clear that the legal cases (and expenses) against Satyam (in US) will be the responsibility of the winner.