The Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) has cleared ZESCO over its decision to procure wooden poles from Zimbabwe and South African companies.
In a letter written to PF PresidentIal Aspirant Emmanuel Mwamba dated 23rd May 2022, ZPPA stated that the use of Limited Bidding procurement method by ZESCO to acquire the wooden poles was within the law.
ZPPA Director General Idah Chulu said ZESCO relied on Section 42(2) of the Public Procurement Act No. 8. Of 2020 which states that when there is an urgent need for the goods, works or services and engaging open bidding would be impractical, limited bidding procurement method would be used.
Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba reported to both the Anti-Corruption Commission and the ZPPA to probe the procurement the supply and delivery of nine(9) and (12) metre wooden poles shortlisted to foreign companies.
He contended that the decision by ZESCO to spend in excess of $107million on foreign companies when the ZPPA Act of 2020 provided that the first float of such a tender was to be afforded to citizen suppliers.
He said both the Zambia Manufacturers Association(ZMA) and the Timber Association of Zambia had affirmed that enough materials existed in the country to meet ZESCO’s wooden poles needs.
Mr. Mwamba had contended that both ZAFFICO and Copperbelt Forestry Company had capacity to supply the wooden poles and should be given preference in the supply tender as local suppliers.
But ZPPA said ZAFFICO had a running contract with ZESCO.
Mr. Mwamba thanked ZPPA for investigating his complaint but maintained that ZESCO’S decision to use uncompetitive methods for such a large sum of money remained a serious matter of concern.
He said he would wait for a report from the Anti-Corruption Commission on the matter before he can take the next course of action.
A few years Pay Foward thieves like GBM only got these contracts but sadly these guys never established a tangible foothold in the sector they were middlemen in for a quick buck and out.
I find this whole saga rather incredible. Zesco is a parastatal, owned by the people of Zambia, but it doesn’t care about those people and go for the quick buck. Rather insensitive to say the least!
I deliberately choose not to listen to Mwamba whenever his posts make news, this man has no spine, he finds it easy to speak out against the actions of his party now and thinks this will propel him to PF presidency, a man with no courage shouldn’t be tolerated as a potential leader, even of the PF.
With that being said, I am impressed that he took the right step to challenge the award of the tender and inquired from ZPPA, and kudos to ZPPA for giving a solid answer.
That answer by ZPPA should also absorb the DMMU management for their emergency tender for masks, if the ZPPA emergency reason is anything to go by.
We await the incompetent ACC to hear their viewpoints.
Wooden poles? 130 million dollars? GBM would have supplied them for 5. .
Those that make decisions usually examine the Law and take advantage of either lacunae or loopholes. That makes it difficult for the aggrieved to fight absurd decisions. A perfect example is the case of Chitotela and the ACC. As long as the allows for out of Court settlements it’ll be difficult to reverse those agreements.
Many times people of old shared that loopholes are difficult to identify and to seal by the blind.