US$23M RTSA DEAL MUST BE REVERSED - TechNet

By SIMON MUNTEMBA WE will not give up until the e-Zamtis tender fraudulently awarded to Savenda Management Services is reversed, TechNet Zambia Limited director Frederick Wamulume has vowed.

Mr Wamulume told the Daily Nation yesterday that his company will exhaust all channels to ensure the tender was reversed.

In 2011, Government opened bids for the e-Zamtis project under Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) and the two companies, On-Track Innovations and TechNet Zambia Limited won it.

The contract involves the installation, commissioning, and implementation of the e-Zamtis project.

Despite the two companies jointly winning the US$23 million contract to supply equipment to RTSA, TechNet Zambia has been left out and instead Savenda Management Services have been drafted into it by On-Track Innovations.

TechNet has since taken the matter to Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) to determine how a foreign company could vary the terms of a contract to leave a partner out.

Mr Wamulume said it was disappointing that Savenda, which was not a party to the bidding process had been paid huge amounts of money and excluding them.

He, however, said his company would not rest until justice prevailed.

Mr Wamulume said it was their entitlement as a local enterprise to benefit from government tenders, adding that they will not allow a foreign firm to just come and get tenders without following the laid down procedures.

“We will not allow a third party who never participated in the bidding process to benefit at our expense. We lodged a complaint with ZPPA but if the illegal tender is not reversed, we will escalate it to other government arms,” Mr. Wamulume vowed.

He said the involvement of Savenda was illegal and it must be stopped from succeeding.

He called upon the relevant authorities to take keen interest and find out whether On-Track Innovations conducted itself in the right manner when it involved a third party who never participated in the bidding process and pushed them out of the transaction.

Meanwhile, efforts to get a comment has hit a wall as Savenda executive director Clever Mpoha snubbed a Daily Nation reporter again.

When a reporter went to Savenda offices yesterday, a lady believed to be part of management through the receptionist said the company could not comment as the matter was already published.

She said Savenda will issue a statement at an appropriate time.