Chinese bidders relish fight while Maun goes thirsty
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday February 28, 2020 18:19
China State Construction & Engineering Corporation/ Sharps Construction Joint Venture (JV) wants to wrestle away the salivating P399, 887,676.61 tender from bid winners, China Civil/Landmark JV.
The matter is in relation to a Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services Tender NO WOR 7/ 9/ 10 to design, supply, and build of borehole equipment, boreholes collector lines, water treatment plant, booster station and associated works in Maun
According to Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) spokesperson, Charles Keikotlhae, China State Construction & Engineering Corporation/ Sharps Construction JV has submitted three complaints against China Civil/Landmark JV to the Board.
Two of the complaints have been dismissed while response is awaited for one. Despite that, this publication has been reliably informed that the losing bidders are on the brink of filing their fourth complaint.
“On the 26th November 2019 and 20th December 2019 China State Construction & Engineering Corporation/ Sharps Construction JV submitted a complaint to the Board indicating that China Civil/Landmark JV has failed to meet tender requirements in that the envelope containing their financial proposal did not indicate the address of the Procuring Entity (PE) therefore their bid should be disqualified,” he said.
Furthermore, Keikotlhae said the Board at its meeting held on the 12th December 2019 dismissed the bidders complaint. The Board was of the view that the bids were submitted to the correct address for opening on the date of opening.
“In addition the bidder had indicated the title of the project, tender number and the name of the bidder.
The Board therefore viewed that the PE’s address was considered a minor deviation and did not change the substance of the bid which is in line with Circular No. 1 of 2016 and the Board upheld its decision on the 9th January 2020 on the appeal of the same matter,” Keikotlhae said.
Following their failed first attempt, on the 10th January 2020 the bidder submitted another complaint indicating that it has come to their attention that China Civil/Landmark JV proposed key personnel did not meet the requirements stipulated in the tendering procedures therefore the bidder should be disqualified.
The matter is still pending at the Board and expectation is that it will be concluded first week of March following submission of comments by the PE on the issue raised by the complainant.
In yet another issue, on the 5th February 2020 the Board received a complaint from the bidder now querying the qualification of one of the key personnel proposed by China Civil/Landmark JV being the Project Manager.
“China State Construction & Engineering Corporation/ Sharps Construction JV indicated that employees of China Civil alleged that the proposed Project Manager being Mr Wensheng Liu holds a degree from a Mining Engineering institute of Architectural Science and Technology.
Our observation was that Mr Liu graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from Habei Institute of Building and Technology and was registered in 2016 as an Engineer with the Engineers Registration Board and was issued with ERB registration and Practicing certificates.
The Board therefore did not find any merit in the complaint and dismissed it at its meeting held on the 13th February 2020,” Keikotlhae said.
The project is the second of the long-awaited P2.65 billion Maun water supply and sanitation Phase II which commenced last October.
Envisaged to be completed in three years, the project is aimed at improving access to potable water and sanitation services in Maun and its outlying satellite villages.
It has been packaged into four mutually dependent contracts all of planned to be completed at the same time by October 2022.
The first phase of the project had already been awarded to Chinese contractor Zhengtai Group at a cost of P1.8 billion while the rest of the contractors would share the remaining balance.
Contract number three will focus on Maun wastewater treatment plant at east and west including instrumentation and control and associated works while the last one will implement Maun satellite villages connections including a treatment plant at Sexaxa.