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Martin Kadzere Senior Business Reporter
MUTARE based car and passenger bus assembler, Quest Motors is crying foul over its exclusion from the preferred list of suppliers of buses to public schools by Government.
Operations manager Mr Carl Fernandes told The Herald Business in an interview yesterday that despite receiving promising enquiries from the schools, Quest was left out on the list even though it assembles modern Chinese buses.
Public schools across the country constitute a sizeable market for passenger buses. Quest Motors, which used to import before it started producing locally, said the cost for imported 65 seater-unit was $162 000, higher than $140 000 for locally produced buses.
A circular by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education directed all Government schools to purchase buses from AVM, Deven Engineering and FAW Zimbabwe.
“Since the launch of the bus assembly, we have had a number of enquiries from schools,” said Mr Fernandes. “They want to buy . . . but they are being blocked by the Ministry. “We have written to the Ministry on a number of occasions without response.” No official comment could be obtained from the Ministry by the time of going to print.
But in the circular, Ministry’s secretary Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango said following the rise in malpractices in the procurement of buses and increasing number of schools that were being taken advantage by “shrewd suppliers,” the ministry approached the State Procurement Board for a solution.
She said the SPB passed a directive that buses should be bought from Deven, FAW and AVM. Orders would be done through provincial offices but payments would be paid to suppliers. Dr Masango said the Ministry also did due diligence on the short-listed companies and found out that FAW Zimbabwe and Deven had capacity to meet the demand, but expressed reservations on the ability of Deven as “there was no much (production) activity.”
Mr Fernandes said it was “shocking and surprising” that they were left out despite having invited the Ministry officials for inspection where they expressed satisfaction with the quality.
“If local assemblers are allowed to supply buses, many other industries such as paint, battery, tyre, glass and spring could benefit from improved performance of the local companies,” he said.
On other lines, Mr Fernandes said the company has small orders for pick-ups and double cabs. He said the company was hoping to get “good” orders from State enterprises and parastatals, which have been spending millions of dollars on imports.
“We are surprised that the local industry is being shunned by parastatals when there is a clear directive for them to import 80 percent from local companies,” said Mr Fernandes.
Apart from assembling buses, Quest is also producing Foton Tunland single and double cabs. The company is also set to launch locally assembled Mitshubishi Triton double cab before end of this month and production is already in progress, said Mr Fernandes.
Last year, about 4 000 double cabs were imported and only 12 were purchased from local assemblers.
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