Phosa calls for tender watchdog

ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa wants an anti-corruption commission that can intervene in dodgy tenders before they are finalised. Phosa told a party fundraiser in Rustenburg at the weekend that it was time to get “much tougher” on corruption. “I believe one of the alternatives the government could consider is the establishment of an anti-corruption commission that would have the powers to, at any time during any tender process, intervene in the process and request clarity from the roleplayers,” he said. “Our current interventions are too late, and take place at a time when millions have been wasted. “We need to be able to call in any official or business entity at any stage during these processes and demand clarity and information as well as documentation.” Phosa’s call follows increasing numbers of problems with state tenders.

National police commissioner General Bheki Cele is having to explain why he should keep his job in the wake of months of criticism over police office tenders, while Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde admitted last week that irregularities had been found in more than 40 tenders, together worth about R3 billion, in her department. A new contract awarded by the Gauteng Department of Health highlights problems in a similar contract awarded earlier this year. Nine months ago, Gauteng bought two scanners for a hospital for nearly R30 million amid criticism that it had seriously overpaid. Now it has bought the same equipment from the losing bidder, for another Joburg hospital, for nearly R6m less. On Friday, the government Tender Bulletin reported that the provincial Department of Health would pay R23.87m to Philips Medical Systems for “the supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of one 64-slice CT scanner and one 128-slice CT scanner for Charlotte Maxeke Hospital”.

The contract for the hospital in Parktown starts on October 18 and runs for eight years. This is R5.58m less than what was paid for the same equipment bought in January for Chris Hani-Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto. The Star has previously reported that the department bought a 64-slice CT scanner and a 128-slice CT scanner for Bara on January 17 from Medi-Four Medical Supplies for R29.45m. Medi-Four was set up in October 2009, two months before the tender for those scanners was issued. In March, Gauteng Health MEC Ntombi Mekgwe told the legislature that Medi-Four had received the Bara contract even though its price of R29.45m was higher than competing bidder Philips Medical Systems’ price of just under R22.1m. In addition, Medi-Four had received a tender score of 60.47 points against Philips’s 90 points.

Mekgwe said the Medi-Four letter of appointment had been sent before the departmental acquisition committee had approved the award. At the time, Medi-Four director Dr Jacques Shipper had said there was nothing untoward in the contract. He said that while the tender had called for two 64-slice scanners, his company had offered a 64-slice and a 128-slice scanner instead.