Multimillion guardhouses tender deadline today
MBABANE – The Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC) has issued a tender for the procurement of the construction of guardhouses for different sites.
The tender was issued on March 15, 2023, and its deadline is today. EWSC has been allocated funds as part of its budgetary allocation to cover the cost of the construction of guardhouses for different sites and intends to apply part of these funds to cover eligible payments under the contract. Tenders shall be valid for a period of 90 days after the tender opening and must be accompanied by security of E20 000. In the tender document, EWSC said tenderers for this contract may be a natural person, a private entity, a government-owned entity, or any combination of such entities in the form of a joint venture or association (JVA) under an existing agreement or with the intent to enter into such an agreement supported by a letter of intent. EWSC recorded a growth of 4.65 per cent in their annual revenues.
Incressed
The revenues were E397 716 352 in 2020 and increased to E417 142 484 in the year under review.
This was mentioned by EWSC in their annual report for 2020-2021. EWSC said water, sewer and basic charges contributed exponentially to the growth of corporate revenues as well as profit. They said the charges were inquired about by both residential and commercial properties. ESWC said it supplied water for both commercial and residential customer and provided sewage disposal services to both.
“Revenue from water and sewer services is recognised based on the usage of water by customers, and basic charges are charged per customer with an active connection without regard to usage on a monthly basis,” said the EWSC.
The corporation also mentioned that the measurement of revenue was determined by the water and sewer usage charges, which were charged at gazetted rates based on the usage of customers. They said basic charges were also based on a flat-rate, gazetted charge per type of connection, and the revenue was primarily based on the value receivable from customers at the time of billing.
“Customers are charged a fee for new connections and reconnections to receive water and sewer services from the corporation,” mentions EWSC.
They said they recognised revenue when the connection fee is payable by the customer when the service is rendered. Water charges stood at E269 065 634, while sewer charges were E65 827 250. Penalties also contributed to the growth of the revenue. EWSC said they increased by over E100 000 in the period under review and were charged to customers who had their water and sewer services disconnected.
“The charge is recognised when the customer pays the penalty for disconnection,” added EWSC.
They also mentioned that trade effluent charges also contributed to the growth of revenue, although commercial properties were not able to trade accordingly during COVID-19 and the unrest. EWSC said trade effluent disposal services are offered to their commercial and industrial customers that produce liquid waste from their processes.
They said the charges are billed to customers based on the amount of effluent disposed of, and the payments are recognised when the service is rendered based on volumes of trade effluent disposed of. EWSC Managing Director (MD) Jabulile Mashwama said the year under review has been the most challenging faced by the corporation.
Disasters
While the economy was on the verge of recovery, disasters struck in the form of a pandemic and unrest that struck the socio-economic environment.
The MD said this disrupted the implementation of their strategic plan and distorted annual work plans and budgets.
“The country’s fiscal position slowed down project implementation, and the dull business and economic climate continued to weigh heavily against the errands,” she said.
Mashwama also mentioned that some capital projects had to be stalled and some deferred, leading to challenges in delivering on the objectives of the strategic plan, as well as national and international targets. Worth mentioning, EWSC made a profit of E61.8 million in the period under review compared to the E52.8 million it made in 2020.