FRESH claims have surfaced that the new pre-qualification bidding round for the N$3,2 billion Neckartal Dam construction has already been rigged.
The tender specifications, industry sources say, have been drawn up in such a way as to favour certain companies and exclude others right from the word go. The initial pre-qualification round was shrouded in controversy as Permanent Secretaries openly sided with one or the other bidder.The process was marked by infighting in the Tender Board consisting of Permanent Secretaries. It was reported that the Tender Board, which usually runs its affairs on a consensus basis, was split in two, resulting in allegations that some officials’ palms were greased. Permanent Secretaries were urgently called backed from their December holidays to fast-track the tender, but no consensus could be reached and the first pre-qualification round was cancelled in January and the process reopened. The pre-qualification tender was issued last week and closes on April 17. Some prospective tenderers are alleging that the specifications are designed in such a manner that only a handful of companies would actually pass this first hurdle.Among other things, the bidders must have work experience in ‘Southern Africa and elsewhere’. Another ‘disturbing’ requirement, according to a prospective tenderer, is for bidders to have successfully completed the construction of ‘at least a minimum of five dams in sub-Saharan Africa in the last 20 years’.More worrying to the newcomers is again the ‘summary of experience of the company in the country of the project and or neighbouring states’. They said these specific requirements would exclude companies such as China Henan International and favour others such as the Italian outfit Impregilo.The scoring system is even more puzzling. It gives 25 per cent scoring points for past experience in dam construction contracts in Southern Africa and elsewhere. However, it fails to include the five dams requirement in sub-Sahara Africa that had initially been mentioned as a requirement. Another issue tenders have questioned is the 3 per cent scoring points given for the declaration of ‘recent history of litigation or arbitration’.’It is not clear to us whether if a company has not been involved in any litigation it would not be awarded this 3 per cent,’ said one prospective tenderer.The Italian company was tried in the Lesotho High Court on five charges of bribery relating to the giant Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The indictment alleges that Impregilo paid U$1 156 000 to the former chief executive officer of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, Masupha Sole, as a bribe to land a tender for the construction of the Katse Dam.What is ‘perplexing’ to the tenders who spoke to The Namibian is that audited financial statements to be submitted with the tender documents should have been prepared after July 1, 2010.’Why put this specific date of audit time frame two years back?’ they asked.They also complained that the time given is very short to prepare for a pre-qualification tender of such a magnitude and want it extended. The departure of Tender Board’s secretary, Welma Enssle, has also made matters worse as it left a vacuum. Tender documents do not specify the contact person at the Tender Board secretariat for queries.’We were told by a certain official at the Tender Board that they were given instruction that no extension should granted,’ one prospective tenderer said.The Tender Board had initially selected China Henan International at a quotation of N$1,9 billion.The Agriculture Ministry at the time was said to prefer Impregilo with its bid of N$2,8 billion. The vast difference in the bids raised eyebrows about the actual cost of the project, while rumours of bribery in the tendering process have been doing the rounds since last year. The Neckartal Dam is planned for completion by 2015.In addition to the shoddy tendering process, environmentalists have also raised concerns over the way in which the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study was conducted. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism denied that it had approved the project considered environmentally, economically and socially unsustainable.
