Tender irregularities in Drakenstein Municipality 2010-09-02
WE bid for a tender at the local municipality in November 2009. The tender was for the retreading of tyres. It is now August 2010, and the tender has not been awarded yet.
To our knowledge the time allocated to award a tender is 90 days per government prescription.
When we enquired about the delay of so many months, procurement told us that they were awaiting a legal opinion on whether Kilotreads qualify to win the bid.
It is public knowledge that Kilotreads was found guilty in the High Court of defrauding local government when bidding for a R40 million tender in Cape Town.
They subsequently bid for the tender in Paarl and now the municipality is going to all lengths in trying to secure the tender for Kilotreads who have already been found guilty for BEE fronting.
We cannot understand why the municipality is making it their responsibility to prove legally that Kilotreads qualify for the tender. We are a company that qualifies in all the HDI requirements of the local municipality.
It is now the second time that we have tendered that the municipality is playing the same tricks.
They extend the tender by intervals of one month while they still award the job to the company whose contract has expired, while the competitors get no job at all.
We are in possession of all the correspondence in trying to address these irregularities for three years now, without any success. We would like to try any intervention to stop the municipality from undermining procurement policies.
Willie Barends Puncture ShoppeThe municipal spokesperson responds: According to the SCM Guide for Municipalities, the Accounting Officer should award the contract within the period of validity of the bids which in this case has been extended with documented proof. All successful bidders must adhere to conditions of the tender and tender specifications. Three bids were received. Based upon the legal opinion obtained, the municipality would not be in transgression of the Supply Chain management regulations or any other legislation, should the municipality continue its relationship with Kilotreads.
