Tender tug-of-war frustrates shipbuilders
THE repeated cancellation and reissuing of a tender for a plough tug by the Transnet National Ports Authority has left local shipbuilders exasperated.
Three shipbuilding companies — Southern African Shipyards, Damen Shipyards Cape Town and Nautic Africa — say the failure to award the contract will delay the government’s Operation Phakisa programme.
Launched by President Jacob Zuma two years ago, Operation Phakisa seeks to unlock the ocean economy with priority areas identified as marine transport, coastal shipping, shipbuilding and repair, aquaculture, and offshore oil and gas exploration.
Plough tugs are used to dredge sea sand washed in by the tides out of the entrance channels to ports.
The R81-million tender to design and build a plough tug for the Port of Durban was first issued in 2014, then cancelled, only to be reissued again last year. The contract was awarded to Tide Marine, a company based in East London, but later cancelled.
A source close to the process said the authority revoked the tender because Tide Marine could not deliver.
According to an authority evaluation report of bidders seen by Business Times, Tide Marine was favoured because it met the required minimum supplier development threshold of 40%.
Tide Marine scored 74% on supplier development and 83.97% on local content.
Tide Marine director Fabian Crocker said the company had decided not to comment on the process, although he did confirm it had submitted a new tender to build the plough tug.
Local shipbuilders have expressed frustration at the time wasted and the costs incurred relating to tendering.
Sam Montsi, chairman of Damen Shipyards, said: “It is only when tenders are processed, adjudicated and awarded professionally, transparently and fairly that the shipbuilding industry can help our government realise the objectives of Operation Phakisa.”
James Fisher, the CEO of Nautic Africa, which tendered to build the plough tug in 2104, said: “While we want to support start-up companies, sophisticated jobs need to go to the more established companies, and in doing so smaller companies can benefit from the supply chain.”
Southern African Shipyards CEO Prasheen Maharaj said: “The issuing and cancellation of tenders is disappointing. It takes a lot of time, effort and money to repeatedly tender. It’s something we cannot afford in this harsh economic climate.”
TNPA general manager for finance Mohammed Abdool said on Friday that the first tenders to build the plough tug had not met the minimum threshold requirements.
“Tide Marine was awarded the business as part of the second tender issued; however, during contracting they were unable to meet certain precedents,” he said. “The absence of a new plough tug has impacted on the organisation and . . . the situation is not sustainable. Hence TNPA decided to move on and reissue the most recent tender.”