By: Kelvin Chiringa
The Grootfontein municipality faces the prospect of being reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) regarding an Omulunga Extension 6 construction tender suspected to have been corruptly given to a joint venture company, NGC Investment CC JV Gecko Investment.
The company’s director, Gideon Shipiki, has accused authorities at the municipality of tempering with the JV’s quotation, which he alleges was reduced to almost match the one his company has proposed.
Shipiki has expressed dismay at the JV’s N$4 375 073.63 bidding amount, which he says was reduced from the initial N$4 427 978.63.
In a letter to Grootfontein Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kisco Sinvula dated the 29th of September 2021, Shipiki requested for the intervention of the Public Procurement Review Panel at the finance ministry in conjunction with the head of the Procurement Management Unit at the ministry of urban and rural development.
“The intervention being requested for reviewing this selection is of crucial importance if the integrity of our institutions and transparency were to be ensured and maintained at all times. The initial bidding amount of NGC Investment CC JV Gecko 58 Pty (Ltd) was, as it appears in the document shared in the public domain, N$4 427 978.63.
“As to what has necessitated the discrepancies with regard to the NGC Investment CC JV Gecko 58 Pty (Ltd) initial tender amount submitted, and the amount for which the same company selected for, remains a mystery.
“It is clear, therefore, that the bidding amount has been tampered with, hence the need for provision of clarity. It is not allowed by law to make any alterations in the bidding document after the closing date of the tender,” said Shipiki.
However, Grootfontein CEO, Sinvula, has said that the change in the JV’s bidding amount was due to the corrections done on arithmetic errors.
“The Public Procurement Act provides various options where a bidder is aggrieved. We do not alter the bid amount. What happened is that during the evaluation process, the Bid Evaluation Committee will be able to calculate and quantify arithmetically if what you have calculated is correct or incorrect. That’s basically what transpired at that specific level,” he said.
In response to Shipiki Construction, the municipality stressed that provided that a bid is substantially responsive, an employer is allowed to correct arithmetic errors.
The company was also instructed to make an application to review the selection made strictly within seven days.
However, Shipiki has disclosed to The Villager that he did not have the application fee of N$5 000 and could not file an application at that time.
The municipality has made it clear that the accounting officer would award the contract to the selected JV if he did not meet such a deadline.
The application period open to Shipiki was between the 23rd of September 2021 and the 29th of September 2021.
