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By Daniel Kachere News Editor
Treasury has called for the immediate cancellation of a tender that was awarded to two companies for the acquisition of laptops and computer desktops for use by the Parliament of Zimbabwe.
This is contained in a leaked letter seen by Nhau/Indaba red flagging the Clerk of Parliament, Kennedy Chokuda from the Secretary for Finance and Economic Development, George Guvamatanga.
Awarding of the tender was in complete disregard of Treasury’s August 3, 2022 order directing ministries to rationalise all government procurement processes with a view to operate within the confines of the willing buyer willing seller foreign exchange rate.
The two companies, Bilnart Investments P/L and Mid-End Computers and Hardware P/L which have since been blacklisted from government procurement processes had been awarded the tender to supply Parliament 173 laptops and 79 desktops respectively.
Bilnart had quoted Parliament a whooping US$1 602 755,77 to supply the 173 laptops meaning that each gadget was being charged an inflated US$9 264,48.
Mid-End Computers and Hardware had quoted each of the 79 desktops at US$3 076.61 to amass US$243 052,36.
Parliament would have forked out US$1 845 808.13 at a time government is struggling to pay its workers a salary above the poverty datum line which keeps increasing due to inflation.
“Treasury notes with concern that these suppliers are charging US$9264.48 and US$3 076.61 for a laptop and desktop respectively. These US dollar prices have been exorbitantly inflated way beyond those that are prevailing in the market and hence are not acceptable.
“In this regard and to ensure value for money for government, in line with the Public Finance Management Act [Chapter 22:19] which empowers Treasury to manage and control public resources, Treasury directs that this tender be cancelled, and the concerned suppliers be blacklisted from any future Government procurement process,” it reads. Nhau/Indaba
