Kitwe Hydraulics closer to EWSC contract

MBABANE - Kitwe Hydraulic and Pneumatic Engineering (Pty) Ltd was the best evaluated for the Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC) jetting machine tender.

Three companies showed interest for the tender, this included Ubuntu Rentals and Cimbresh Investments.

The best evaluated company enlisted was Kitwe Hydraulic and Pneumatic Engineering (Pty) Ltd. Their evaluated price totalled E661 340.85.

This was revealed by the Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (ESPPRA) on their website.

Supply

According to the procurement regulator, EWSC was looking for a contractor for the supply, installation, and commissioning of servers.

The procurement entity for the tender was EWSC, which was approved by the board’s authority. EWSC requested that the unsuccessful bidders submit an application for review with the agency within 10 working days.

“All tenderers who submitted bids are hereby notified that a period of 10 working days is hereby allowed for submission of any application for review,” said EWSC.

“It was also mentioned that the tender does not constitute a contract.

Meanwhile, the financial health of businesses is steadily improving; one such company is Eswatini Water Services

Swazi

Corporation (EWSC), whose revenue increased by 17 per cent.

This was outlined in the EWSC annual report for 2022. EWSC said the revenue for the year ended March 31, 2022, was E488 million. The operating revenue grew by 17 per cent from E417 million in 2021.

They said the growth was driven by a tariff increase of 6.6 per cent and the recovery in economic activity following the relaxation of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

An operating expenditure of E418.8 million was recorded, representing an increase of 4.6 per cent compared to last year (E400.4 million).

The profit for the year amounted to E104 million. This is 68 per cent more than the profit for 2021 of E61.9 million.

EWSC Managing Director (MD) Jabulile Mashwama said the increase in profit was partly because of austerity measures emanating from COVID-19-related restrictions, which impacted expenses such as training, travel, sports, and social activities.

Contributed

She said reductions in energy costs were another factor that contributed to the bottom line, following energy initiatives implemented.

Total assets amounted to E3.34 billion (E2.98 billion in 2021). The increase is attributable to projects completed and recognised in the corporation’s accounts. Total liabilities stood at E2.58 billion (E2.32 billion

NATIONALITY EVALUATED PRICE

E22 450 000 in 2021).

Mashwama said they continued to function as a going concern despite challenges in the operating environment posed by a number of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent social unrest.

She said the impact of COVID-19 and the resultant economic impact took a toll on the corporation as there were challenges in the collection of billed amounts, resulting in the debtors’ book growing due to accumulating arrears.

“The challenges of cash collection on billed amounts put pressure on working capital for sustainable operations,” she added.

COMMENT Threat

The MD mentioned that the threat of the fifth wave remained a risk in the reporting period as cases were expected to increase in the winter season.

“Ever since the government took a decision to move the COVID-19 restrictions to Adjusted Risk Level 1, businesses and the economy have been on the verge of recovery. Though this phase is dubbed ‘post-COVID-19’, the pandemic is expected to be around in the foreseeable future. Building resilient entities from lessons learned has become critical for future survival,” she added.

When asked about their operations in the south-west region of the country, Mashwama said the region entered the New Year with compromised water supplies as raw water supply into the Lavumisa balancing dam was halted.

DETAILS OF ALL OTHER EVALUATED RESPONSIVE TENDERERS

Best Evaluated tender.

The bidder did not submit a tender security bond as per requirements of the tender.