adminPatrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
KWEKWE City councillors have raised a red flag over the proposed awarding of a prepaid water meter tender to a company that had quoted the municipality $340,000, a figure above the threshold set by the government. On September 8, the city’s Procurement Committee recommended the awarding of the tender to a company called Tricon Investment which had quoted the local authority $340,000 ahead of Synlak (Pvt) Ltd which had quoted $210,852 and Merchant Links which had quoted $231,707.
A full council meeting on Thursday last week debated the proposed tender award and declined to endorse it saying it had been handled in a questionable manner.
Kwekwe Mayor Clr Matenda Madzoke said the company which management had picked was charging $340, 000, an amount that can only be approved by the State Procurement Board.
The mayor said as a result, a special full council meeting should now deal with the matter.
“We want to be sure that the things we’re doing are correct and are in line with the laws so we request that we be availed with the information needed before we can make a resolution.
“Council threshold is $300,000 and anything above that should go through the State Procurement Board. Therefore the matter is deferred to a special full council meeting,” he said.
Clr Aaron Gwalazimba said they wanted to be furnished with an internal technical report and tender specifications which were advertised. “We want the technical report from management on the specifications concerning the tender which were advertised.
“This should be deferred to allow management to furnish us with the important technical information we don’t have,” he said.
Clr Weston Masiya said while the idea of having prepaid water meters was good, they had questions on how the tender was handled.
“We ask management to show us the newspaper or the tender advert cutting from the newspaper where it was flighted because we’re in the dark as to how management reached its recommendations,” he said.
Town Clerk Emmanuel Musara, who is also the council Procurement Committee chairperson, said once some councillors raise doubts over any council issue, it was proper to give them time to investigate the issue to their satisfaction.
“Let the councillors look at the documents they’re asking for so that they get explanations before the tender is awarded,” he said.
Online Reporter