The Namibian Police elected to use the restrictive bidding process to appoint a contractor to construct the N$3.5 million police station at Onderombapa in the
Omaheke region.
Three companies, Nami Prefabricated Housing CC, Panel To Panel and Cowboys Trading and Rental Solutions CC were shortlisted, and invited for the restricted tender.
While Panel To Panel was the lowest bidder, it did not meet the requirements.
As such, the tender was awarded to Nami Prefabricated Housing CC.
This was confirmed by police spokesperson,
deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, in response to a series of questions by New Era.
The contractor commenced work on 17 October.
“The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) handles its capital projects in terms of section 4 (1) (b) and section 31 (b) (c) and 3 of the Public Procurement Act,
2015. Thus, the restricted bidding method was used in this regard, where three reputable companies in the business of prefabricated structures were invited to participate,” she said.
The questions to Shikwambi emanated from complaints by some Onderombapa residents,
particularly businesspeople, who felt the tender was shrouded in secrecy.
They also complained about being sidelined in the tender process.
They furthermore claim that the police opted to spend millions to construct a station from the ground up when it could have renovated a complex offered to it, and transform that into a station.
NamPol, it is alleged, turned down cheaper options, including renting or buying a property for less than N$1 million, which it could then revamp and transform into a police station at Onderombapa.
“That could have cost the police less than N$1 million. Why did they opt for a more expensive process when the government is complaining about not having money?” a person familiar with the tender award wanted to know. To this claim, Shikwambi had an answer. “One of the companies which was the lowest bidder with an amount of N$2.26 million did not meet the requirements, as they submitted an expired Social Security Commission good standing certificate and tax good standing certificate. Hence, for accountability purposes as well as to proceed with the project, the contract was awarded to the company which met all the requirements set out on the bid document.”
She added that the police station is being constructed on land which was donated to NamPol free of charge by the Ovaherero Traditional Authority, in conjunction with the community of Onderombapa.
Shikwambi clarified that the offer to purchase a property in Onderombapa settlement was not turned down, but could just not be considered due to the unavailability of funds at the time the property was proposed.
“In addition, the property in question could not cost the Namibian Police Force anything less than N$20 million due to the fact that this property was supposed to be revamped and converted into a modern police station with a cell block, two houses for the station and unit commanders, as well as barracks for both male and female police officers,” she clarified.
The deputy commissioner hastened to say that through the ministry’s budget, NamPol has executed several capital projects, such as the design and construction of many police regional headquarters, and new police stations, as well as accommodation for its members countrywide.
“Such constructions have been done in line with the government’s commitment to ensuring that police facilities are built closer to the people in order to improve the delivery of policing services, and to ensure their accessibility to the larger population,” she noted.
– emumbuu@nepc.com.na