06 Dec 2022

 Tender for the water supply scheme and pipeline for some villages in the Bobirwa constituency was cancelled due to technical issues that arose during the evaluation and adjudication phase.

Answering a question on behalf of the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs Dr Kefentse Mzwnila, the assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Mabuse Pule said the evaluation and revalidation procedure as outlined in the Public Procurement Act of 2021 was not strictly adhered to.

The tender was for the Lepokole, Gobojango, Semolale and Mabolwe Water Supply Scheme as well as the Mathathane and Motlhabaneng Water Supply Pipeline.

He explained that the evaluation team introduced factors that were not part of the evaluation criteria and also did not disqualify bidders who did not respond to the first validation request.

"Also, the length of time the tender process took before adjudication and award was too long and could have impacted significantly on issues of pricing due to prevailing economic conditions," he said.

Mr Pule further said that the tender documents had been prepared in alignment with the new Standard Bidding Documents and undergoing vetting by the Ministry Procurement Unit with the view that the tender be floated during the upcoming financial year.

He further said the ministry intended to complete all the procurement process during the current financial year and award the tender to start construction during the next financial year under the Transitional Plan.

Bobirwa Member of Parliament Mr Taolo Lucas had asked the minister to state the reason for the cancellation of the concerned tenders, the process of re-tendering for the same and, the anticipated date of commencement of the two projects. 

ends