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Procurement Board denies delaying bids

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Procurement Board denies delaying bidsProcurement Board denies delaying bidsBidders have themselves to blame The Central Procurement Board says errors and inconsistencies in bidding documents are behind the delay in awarding certain public tenders. OGONE TLHAGE

SWAKOPMUND

The Central Procurement Board of Namibia says it is not intentionally delaying the awarding of bids submitted to, laying the blame on its stakeholders.

The board is tasked with awarding bids above set thresholds for public entities, government offices, ministries and agencies and various local authorities.

Its procurement specialist, Rebecca Haipinge, explained the processes involved in the awarding of bids by the board on behalf of its stakeholders during a recent training workshop.

There are eight stages of procurement a bid has to go through, starting from the time a procurement plan is presented to the board, she explained. The board has given itself 160 days to vet and award bids.

Errors

According to Haipinge, the board often flags bidding documents that are found to be non-compliant with bid specifications - the Public Service Employees Medical Aid Scheme tender was one such bid.

The board has also found instances of collusion and conflicts of interest that delayed bids from going through. The work experience of bidders has also delayed the awarding of bids.

Haipinge also cited examples of bidders not initialling, signing and stamping all pages of bid submissions as a factor causing delays.

Some bidders made unrealistic offers on their bids, she added.

To counter this, the procurement board will issue standardised bidding documents.

Flexibility in applying for timelines will also be provided. The procurement board is looking at providing timelines in terms of working days and not calendar days.

Haipinge said the procurement spend by public entities, government and local authorities amounted to N$1.6 billion between 2017 and 2020. Of this, N$7 520 million went to to foreign firms.

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