Three road tenders worth over P250m under DCEC radar
Tenders are for shoulder reinstatement, Asphalt overlaying
DCEC probe might stall the works expected to start this November
Ministry, Road department officials clash over variation of the tenders’ award price
TVariation could increase prices for the tenders he award of three road maintenance construction tenders worth over P256. 8 million which were approved in August this year has allegedly attracted an investigation by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime ( DCEC).
Instead of being cancelled and calling for retendering, the three tenders were awarded in August this year. Between August and October last year the same tenders sparked controversy with suspicions of insider trading after some Roads Engineers were said to be colluding with some of the bidders on the preparations of the Invitation to Tender ( ITT).
The trio are Tender No: MTC
240/ 5/ 56/ 2021- 2022 ( 4) Shoulder Reinstatement and Asphalt Overlay of Sepopa- Mohembo Road 70KM; Tender No: MTC 240/ 5/ 56/ 20212022 ( 5) Shoulder Reinstatement and Asphalt Overlay of GumareSepopa Road 70KM; Tender No: MTC240/ 5/ 56/ 2021- 2022 ( 2) Asphalt Overlay of Mokobeng- Sefhare Access Road 30km.
The DCEC developed interest after it emerged that after the Public Procurement Act came into effect in April this year, the tenders were not cancelled as should have been the case. The tenders were expected to be cancelled once the Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Board ( PPADB) Act ceased operation and procurement entities were expected to start their own procuring processes.
Instead of cancelling the tenders the Ministry of Transport and Public Works through the Department of Roads went ahead and awarded the tenders to Bango Trading ( Pty) Ltd, Lempehu Investments ( Pty) Ltd and Rockefeller ( Pty) Ltd.
Department of Roads for Tender No: MTC 240/ 5/ 56/ 2021- 2022 ( 5) requested for award of tender to Bango Trading ( Pty) Ltd at a tender sum of P110, 594, 150.68 for Works Contract for the Procurement of Shoulder Reinstatement and Asphalt overlay of Gumare- Sepopa road ( 70km); Tender No: MTC 240/ 5/ 56/ 2021- 2022 ( 2), request for award of tender to Lempehu Investments ( Pty) Ltd at a tender sum of P48, 911, 592. 27 inclusive of 14 percent VAT for a Works Contract for the procurement of Asphalt overlay of Mokobeng- Sefhare road ( 30km); and Tender No: MTC 240/ 5/ 56/ 2021- 2022 ( 4) request for award of tender to Rockefeller ( Pty) Ltd at a tender sum of P97, 368, 989.73 for A Work Contract for the Procurement of Shoulder Restatement and Asphalt of Sepopa- Mohembo Road ( 70km).
The requests, which have been approved, were submitted on the 23rd August 2022.
Botswana Guardian has established that there are plans also by some officials to undertake variations for the Gumare- Sepopa and Sepopa- Mohembo projects where the award prices will likely go up. This is said to have divided officials especially technical teams both at the Ministry and Roads department.
Sources at the corruption busting agency have revealed that the two companies, Bango Trading and Rockefeller might not sign the contracts if variation is not done. The call for variations is said to have happened last week during a site visit in Maun in the company of Deputy Permanent Secretary- Technical in the ministry, Isaac Moepeng and other road engineers. The demand for variation comes at a time when one of the contractors on site Evergreen ( Pty) Ltd decided to terminate its agreement following failure to agree with the procuring entity on variation for the Sepopa- Mohembo Road tender.
At the time of going to press DCEC Public Relations Officer Lentswe Motshoganetsi had not responded to a questionnaire sent to him.
Last year the department, which is the procuring entity, was accused of proposing a two- way envelope submission method while the works are mostly maintenance. The two- way envelope system is for Financial and Technical bidding. This was said to likely disadvantage other bidders as the Engineers can set conditions that non- preferred bidders will meet.
According to sources it has been contended that the projects are largely maintenance works as opposed to design and build. As such contractors believed the two- way envelope method should not be followed in the maintenance projects.
Sources indicated that there is a cartel of Engineers within the Department of Roads and by extension the parent ministry that prepares Invitation to Tender ( ITT) documents with escalated measurements/ rates and then shares with its preferred bidders to prepare themselves for bidding with other contractors.
Botswana Guardian has established that while there is a pool of companies on the Roads Departments Database only a few always benefit because of the connections with the engineers.
The Engineers are said to be exaggerating quantities and making variations that are not on the ground. PPADB had however at that time maintained that the tenders were within their threshold and “they approved the evaluation
methods for the tenders.”