ONGWEDIVA – The Ohangwena Regional Council has hit back at claims that the council’s procurement process is flawed and discriminating against small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The Ohangwena council’s spokesperson, Panduleni Nepembe, said the council has been in the spotlight for requesting sealed quotations from prospective contractors when bidding for tenders.
However, Nepembe said the complaints are devoid of truth, saying the regional council has been rallying behind SME development in the region. He called upon the aggrieved business people to acquaint themselves with the 2015 procurement act.
“The council’s procurement records are available for scrutiny and should any member of the public feel that there are irregularities or corrupt practices within our procurement system, they are free to approach the relevant institutions established to fight corruption,” said Nepembe.
The spokesperson added that bid invitations, bid opening reopening and executive summaries for competitive bids are posted on the council’s website for transparency, accountability and competitiveness.
In addition, Nepembe said, there are also complaints that the procurement management unit is corrupt, arrogant and sabotaging SME development.
“Ohangwena Regional Council has an open-door policy and do not condone insults, intimidations or personal attacks in a civilised society, hence we fully condemn the claims in question,” said Nepembe.
Furthermore, he said the council is dismayed by a number of abandoned projects in the region.
He said some of such projects were partially delivered while some have completely failed to be delivered.
Despite the tendency of non-delivery, Nepembe said the council has not blacklisted any SME, saying it is an indication that council has their interest at heart.
“For information sharing, the council may consider listing these SMEs and publicly post on our website and also share on different media platforms,” said Nepembe.