CPBN axes N$123m border fence tender

The Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) has formally cancelled a controversial N$123 million veterinary cordon fence tender, weeks after an evaluation committee recommended awarding the project to a Chinese-linked joint venture.

A notice dated 7 September, and seen by Namibian Sun, said the bidding process did not create or achieve the expected outcome.

This follows a call by CPBN that aggrieved bidders must submit their objections by Friday, 4 September.

“The Central Procurement Board of Namibia hereby notifies you that the above-captioned bid has been cancelled in terms of section 54(1)(g) of the Public Procurement Act, as amended," CPBN chairperson Mary Shiimi wrote.

“The board acknowledges and appreciates the time and effort invested by all participating bidders in the preparation and submission of their bids,” she added.

Shiimi said the cancellation takes effect from 3 September "following the process of intention to cancel and written representation by aggrieved bidders".

The notice does not disclose how many objections were received, who submitted them or the grounds they raised.

It also does not state whether the project will be re-advertised.

Namibian Sun reported last month that local businesses had raised concerns over the tender, particularly the prospect of a Chinese-linked joint venture securing the multimillion-dollar contract and the limited participation of local companies.

The tender involves the construction of a fence along Namibia’s border with South Africa.

It covers 155 kilometres along the Orange River and another 30 kilometres between the Klein Menasse and Mata Mata border posts in the //Kharas region.

Ranked first

Last month, Namibian Sun reported that a bid evaluation committee at CPBN ranked China Jiangxi International (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd, in a joint venture with Homefin Properties CC, first for the contract.

The joint venture was named the preferred bidder after a margin of preference reduced its evaluated price to N$120 million, placing it ahead of 10 other financially responsive bidders.

An evaluation committee report dated 18 August shows that its actual bid price was N$126.4 million, including value-added tax.

Puanchu International Construction Engineering (Pty) Ltd, in a joint venture with Southern Africa Projects, ranked second with an evaluated price of N$122 million.

Landmark Projects (Pty) Ltd, in a joint venture with Transact Investments CC, ranked third after its amended offer of N$131 million was evaluated at N$125 million.

The evaluation report stated that the contract would be awarded to the lowest evaluated substantially responsive bidder.

FMD alert

The agriculture ministry issued the tender on 22 June and received 23 bids by the closing date. 

Eleven bids were considered responsive and advanced to the financial evaluation stage.

The fence forms part of the government’s N$1.5 billion strategy for the //Kharas region to strengthen Namibia’s defences against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

Questions sent to CPBN spokesperson Johanna Kambala on Monday this week had not been answered by the time of going to print.