Asian giants among 118 bidders for solar plant tender
Tuesday, September 01, 2015
Solar panels
The Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources recently floated a request for Expressions of Interest for the independent supply of two scalable 50MW solar plants to power the northwestern copper belt and Jwaneng Mine.
Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) public relations and education manager, Ditapole Chibua-Tsheboeng confirmed the line up of suitors for the project, whose tender closed last week.
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...