BGI under fire over multi tenders awarded to one consultancy

Documents obtained by this newspaper paint a disturbing picture of how public funds were allegedly channelled to Dreambond (Pty) Ltd, trading as Geothax Consulting, through direct appointments, irregular contract variations, and outright circumvention of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) regulations. At the heart of the scandal is allegedly a tightly knit group of senior BGI officials, including the Accounting Officer, Cisco Mashabila, who stand accused of having steered lucrative contracts away from some qualifying bidders and dismantled internal checks to favour a company with not so much experience in some of the works carried out.

The paper trail begins in early 2024, when BGI floated a restricted tender for consultancy services to review and develop its business and operating models. Only two firms were invited: Innolead Consulting Pty Ltd and Geothax. The estimated project budget was allegedly P3 million, a figure known only to management and the evaluation team.