The Botswana Police Service (BPS) is locked in a standoff with the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB)over the multi-million Pula Safer City project.
While the BPS wants to reserve the P300 million tender for its preferred Chinese contractors, the PPADB insists that it should be unbundled and opened up to citizen contractors.
The PPADB insists that out of the P300 million, P160 million should be subcontracted to citizen owned companies.
It has since emerged that following pressure from citizen- owned companies seeking a share of the P300 million tender awarded to Huawei Botswana Technologies, PPADB instructed the BPS to unbundle the project and open it up to tendering while the BPS insists on direct appointment of the tender to the Chinese company which could result in local companies being ‘closed out.’ Insiders close to the tender have revealed that the issue has escalated to a power struggle.
When the project commenced with cameras installed in Gaborone and Francistown, Huawei subcontracted only one local company identified as ICT Dynamix and later when it emerged that there were plans to rollout the project to some parts of the country, some local companies showed interest in participating in the project and called for an open tender.
Responding to Sunday Standard queries, PPADB spokesperson, Charles Keikotlhae explained that the PPAD Board, at its sitting of 24th June 2021 approved the Botswana Police Service (BPS)’s request to cancel the tender for Supply, Delivery, Installation, Configuration and Commissioning of Additional Cameras and LTE System to the Existing Safer City Solution for Botswana Police Service. Tender No. Serv 5/2/1 (1) as the tender was non-responsive.
“A its sitting of the 15th July 2021, the Board did not approve the BPS’ request to re-tender for the above-mentioned services (i.e. tender in question) by inviting Huawei Botswana, Hiwing Mechanical and Electrical Technologies Corp LTD and ICT Dynamix as the initial approval of the use of direct appointment method was for Huawei and ICT Dynamix only,” said Keikotlhae. He added that, “The Board, having noted that a new party(Hiwing Mechanical and Electrical Technologies) to the initial JV approved by the Board, was now being introduced, withdrew its approval of the direct appointment method of Huawei and ICT Dynamix and advised BPS to submit an appropriate request before the Board to progress the procurement.”
Keikotlhae says at its sitting of the 29th July 2021, the Board rejected the request by BPS for the use of the direct appointment method of procurement for the Supply, Delivery, Installation, Configuration and Commissioning of Additional Cameras and LTE System to the Existing Safer City Solution for Botswana Police Service by inviting Huawei Technologies Botswana (Pty) Ltd, ICT Dynamix (Pty) Ltd and Hiwing Mechanical & Electrical Technologies Corp.
“The Board did not approve the request as the BPS had not advanced justifiable reasons warranting the use of the method and BPS was advised to open the tender,” said Keikotlhae.
Sunday Standard also sought to know why the tender cited as PPADB 0/5/2-1-1) for re-tender/ direct appointment of Huawei Technologies Botswana ICT Dynamix and Hiwing Mechanical Technologies which was submitted on different dates being 12/07/2021 and 26/07/2021for the supply, delivery, installation and configuration and commissioning of additional cameras and LTE system to the existing safer city solutions for the Botswana Police was not approved.
Asked if the submission by BPS to PPADB dated 26/07/2021 emanated from or is tied/related to the Board’s decision taken on 12/07/2021 in which it withdrew and set aside the direct appointment of the above companies for the same project, and if the answer to this question is in the affirmative what is it that Botswana Police Service failed to do that resulted in the tender not being approved, Keikotlhae said, “Yes, the chronology provided under question 1 demonstrate how the two requests are related / tied to each other. It is worth noting the Board has never approved / rejected the tender for Supply, Delivery, Installation, Configuration and Commissioning of Additional Cameras and LTE System to the Existing Safer City Solution for Botswana Police Service Tender No. Serv 5/2/1 (1).”
He said what was considered and approved by the Board was the use of the Direct Appointment Method of Procurement as follows; The Board at its sitting of 8th January 2021 approved the use of the Direct Appointment Method of Procurement by inviting Huawei and ICT Dynamix for a three-year framework contract to Supply, Deliver, Install, Configure and Commission additional cameras and associated accessories for the expansion of Safer City solution at an estimated cost of P300 million.
“The Board however resolved that out of the P300 million, an estimated P160 million should be subcontracted to citizen owned companies,” revealed Keikotlhae.
While immediate request for responses from BPS and Huawei were not available, it is understood that Huawei Botswana Technologies built the system in such a way that only its preferred local contractors could be able to expand and the system hence BPS is unable to open up the tender for other bidders.
