In an apparent sign of the times, the Botswana Police Service (BPS) is hiding under the cloak of “selective bidding” to steer the P400 million safer cities tenders to preferred low grade companies that did not pass the muster – Sunday Standard investigations have revealed.
With the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) power usurped by politically exposed persons, indications are that the Botswana public procurement process has become the wild wild west and the safer cities dodgy tender is part of an emerging pattern.
In a bidding process that highlights the country’s current public procurement regulatory failure, BPS hand-picked companies which did not meet pre-qualification criteria to participate in the lucrative safer cities tender.
Documents seen by the Sunday Standard reveal that the hand picked companies acquired the code (PPRA Grade E) after the tender was floated. It has also emerged that the companies did not have the requisite code at the time they were invited by the BPS to present bids.
At least five out of nine companies invited for the selective tender got their codes after they were hand-picked for the selective tender.
This is the latest in a disturbing pattern of ethical violations by BPS over the multi-million Pula Safer Cities tender. After months of haggling with the PPADB, the BPS is now able to overstep tender regulations and get away with it.
The now effete PPADB has in the past blocked the BPS safer cities selective bidding, insisting on open tendering.
With the PPADB out of the way, BPS now has a free hand to skirt the country’s procurement best practices which are mandated by law, with limited exceptions, to facilitate good service at a reasonable price.
The PPADB last year canceled the the controversial tender raising a red flag over how the tendering process was being conducted.
Documents passed to the Sunday Standard reveal that, late last year the PPADB upheld a complaint by Chaplain Solutions (Pty) Ltd over the tender for supply, delivery, installation, configuration and commissioning of additional cameras and an LTE system to the existing safer city.
The documents show that another company identified as VTM Security (Pty) Ltd, which had submitted a bid for the same project, also submitted a complaint on 26 October about the same issues raised by Chaplain Solutions. PPADB canceled the Tender No. 5/2/1(II) on the basis that the IT was flawed.
The PPADB decision followed the rejection twice in a row last year of another tender (Tender No. 0/5/2-1-1) related to the safer city project (worth P300 million).
PPADB rejected Tender No. 0/5/2-1-1) for direct appointment of Huawei Technologies Botswana, ICT Dynamix and Hiwing Mechanical Technologies by the BPS. This tender was submitted by BPS on 12 July 2021 but was not approved. A second attempt was made by BBS when it also re-submitted the same tender for the supply, delivery, installation, configuration and commissioning of additional cameras and an LTE system to the existing safer city solutions for Botswana police.
In the latest development, the decision to insist on a selective tender was partially explained in correspondences between Botswana Police Service and prospective bidders, but this only raised more questions than answers.
In fact, the correspondences reveal how the BPS explanation left some bidders convinced that the selective tendering process was a sleight of hand to favour preferred bidders.
A letter dated 5th July 2022 from the Commissioner of Police addressed to managing directors of Hiwing Mechenicak & ICT Dynamix, SIC, Netlan, Pula Rich Hikvision Joint Venture, Carerra Holdings, Kudu Communications, Ikatara Infotech and Chaplin Solutions has become the latest lightning rod of controversy. States the letter: “we acknowledge receipt of the clarifications from one of the bidders of the prospective bidders dated 30th June 2022 pertaining” to “Tender No.DS/POL/0172022-2023/SERV/A Tender for the supply delivery, installation, configuration and commissioning of additional cameras to the existing safety solution for Botswana Police Service,” the letter reads in part.
Botswana Police Service stated that; “the tender documents instruct the bidders cater for licence expansion of the existing Unified Management System for monitoring new cameras.” Since this is a licence expansion on an already operating product and maintained by Huawei and presented as a requirement to all bidders regarding their design, is it possible that BPS engage the manufacturer to provide a fair and equal price to all bidders.”
Another letter dated 14 July shows that one of the bidders also sought clarification on whether “VMS is not provided for in the BoQ (Bill of Quantities) and whether “Are we not providing a new VMS.”
Replying the Botswana Police Service indicated that the decision “to provide a new VMS (vendor management system) is entirely upon the Bidders.”
According to Botswana Police Service; “The bidders have been given relevant information of the existing VMS during clarification and presentation.”
It added that; “This information is enough to assist bidders in deciding whether to work with existing VMS or provide a new VMS. Bidders are however required to interface the existing VMS to the new VMS in case they are bringing a new platform.”
Canceling the tender at the time, PPADB indicated that “the Board has a responsibility to ensure maintenance of a level playing field in public procurement hence the conclusion that the tender ought to be canceled.”
PPADB which had been handling all matters of “public procurement” in effort to “level playing field” has been shorn of all the power following the commencement of the Public Procurement Act of 2021 which empowers permanent secretaries and other accounting officers such Commissioner of Botswana Police to award tenders without institutions like PPADB providing oversight roles.
Indications are that despite the field not being level as alluded by the then PPADB, the Botswana Police Service is likely to go ahead and award the tender. There is also a disturbing sense of impunity. Quite out of character, the usually accountable BPS has not responded to a Sunday Standard questionnaire sent more than two weeks ago.
