Jubilee’s pet project- ‘Laptop project’ has once again backfired after the procurement authority rejected the Indian company that had been awarded the 24.8 billion tender.
The company now rendered insufficient was the lowest bidder amongst the few considered by government. The government has instead been given 45 days within which they should re-evaluate bids by computer firms HPU-netherlands and Haier- China and award a new tender.
Considering it as one of Jubilee’s pillar campaigns, the latest set-back has definitely raised political heat with opposition rather terming government affair as analogue. The promised project was supposed to see the government provide computers to standard one pupils in the first term but the deadline has since passed due to wrangles over tendering raged.
With debates over the project asking the president to instead give the money as salary to teachers, it has been tag of war between sectors and all seemed to be well until the Indian company’s tender was cancelled after the Public Procurement Administrative Review board found that the ministry of education had awarded the tender at sh1.4 billion more than the price quoted by the winning bidder before negotiations with the ministry.
The last rejection of tender was on 13th December, 2013 after awarding it to Olive Telecommunications PVT at a price of sh24.6 billion.
HP had quoted sh24 billion and Haier Electrical Appliances 25 billion are considered the best deals although their value additions were not given considerations by the evaluation teams thus disadvantaging them.