Bidders believe Laptops already bought

Apr 12, 2011 News

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… see tender process as cover-up

Today is the final day for the submission of bids for the supply of laptops the government says it will distribute to poor families, but some bidders feel that the process is just a farce to cover-up the fact that the laptops are already in the country.
A reliable source close to the process indicated that it’s either that the laptops are already in the country or the process is seriously flawed and the project office is unaware of the legalities surrounding public tenders.
The government intends to hand out 90,000 laptops under the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF), but the project office has reserved the right to reject any or all of the bids.
But one bidder told Kaieteur News that this indicates that the OLPF Project managers are not aware of the laws of Guyana which bind the tender board to examine the bids once all the criteria are met.
“The OLPF office cannot reject any bid once all the requirements are met,” the bidder told Kaieteur News.
That aside, sources indicate that some of the requirements seem farfetched and unreasonable, leading to the conclusion that the laptops have already been bought.
“There seems to be something very strange with regard to the specifications which have been given out with this tender.
“It would appear that the Netbooks being bid for are already in existence somewhere and awaiting shipping orders,” one bidder told Kaieteur News.
The bidder said despite several requests to the OLPF Project Office, they are unable to explain why the Netbooks require one external and one internal PCIe slots. He said these PCIe slots are generally used to house the wireless cards and adaptors, and are also used for high end video cards.
“There are no manufacturers who currently install the external PCIe slots for several years now,” the bidder explained, noting that in the move to bid for the project he has been checking with various manufacturers who cannot understand why this is needed.
“Generally, their use has been replaced with the USB Ports for external functions, as most devices currently being manufactured are made for this connection,” the bidder explained.
“Therefore, unless the Government plans to give out high end games to the populace, there is no explanation unless these laptops are already secured older units,” he contended.
Bidders are contending that clauses have been put into the contract that makes it impossible for anyone to win the contract, and so the government would end up giving the contract to someone it favours.
Another issue that bothers some bidders is the fact that points have been attached to the delivery time scheduled, namely that the first set of the laptops must be delivered within 30 days. For some bidders, this is inherently unreasonable.
“It takes an average of four weeks plus for a ship leaving China to get to Guyana, so how can a manufacturer whose usual production schedule is given after receiving an order be expected to ship goods instantly?”
Generally, if a manufacturer is given an order he then places this into a planned production timeframe which is usually four to six weeks after receipt of the order, the bidder explained.
Then, he said, you have to add another four weeks for delivery, therefore giving an arrival period of ten weeks.
“To insist that a manufacturer can deliver an initial order in 30 days is not possible unless the goods are already available for delivery. Since no one can assume to be the winner of the bid, we do not see how an initial order would be available for delivery within 30 days from having their bid accepted, unless the Netbooks are already in place,” the bidder argued.
“(Taking into account) the specifications which are being required, it would not be possible for any manufacturer to have these units as current stock to export,” the bidder added.
Some bidders were requesting that this point’s deduction be addressed to make the scoring system transparent and fair.
One shipping company said that it is “impossible” for as large as an order to be ready and shipped in 30 days.
One bidder noted the statement in the bidding document that a bidder shall not have a conflict of interest and if he is so found will be disqualified. Bidders would be considered to have a conflict of interest with one or more parties in this bidding process, “if they are or have been associated in the past, with a firm or any of its affiliates which have been engaged by the Purchaser to provide consulting services for the preparation of the design, specifications, and other documents to be used for the procurement of the goods to be purchased under these bidding documents.”
Bidders say they will be looking closely into the award of the contract and ensure that the winner is not in violation of this clause.
One bidder said that the statement that the OLPF office will decide whether and if he will accept any of the bids” calls the fairness of the tender into question and as well as the Tender Board itself.
“Once a bid has met the required criteria which have been set out then you must go ahead and do your job,” the bidder stated.
There are other concerns that bidders have expressed. For example, the eligible bidder is required to have a facility in Guyana to provide spare parts, after sales services and warranty enforcement.
Sources argue that it looks unlikely that any contractor would be able to meet all these requirements, especially those in the hinterland and far flung areas.
In the first call for bids, the government committed to accepting the lowest bidder who meets other criteria for the supply of Netbooks, but it soon shifted its position.
In the original bid documents, it was stated that the government would award the contract to the bidder whose offer has been “determined to be substantially responsive, meets the evaluation criteria and has the lowest bid price.”
But the government later revised bid documents saying that the contract will be awarded to the bidder who racks up the most points under an evaluation method that has been crafted.
The government has set aside $1.8 billion on the OLPF Project for this year. It intends to acquire 27,000 Netbooks at US$295 each.

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