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SHINOVENE IMMANUEL and TJIPENANDJAMBI KUHANGA
The Central Procurement Board has asked the Roads Administration to republish two calls for bids worth $ 1.4 billion worth of Namibian roads.
However, the Roads Authority, a parastatal responsible for the construction and management of national highways, believes that the procurement process will delay projects by several years.
The roads in question include the road from Windhoek to Okahandja, which would be extended by 21 kilometers to N $ 1 billion, while the road from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay would be extended by 8 kilometers for N $ 435 million.
A person familiar with this case said that the Central Procurement Board had informed the road authority of its decision last month.
The Namibian understands that the procurement agency had initially requested the parastatal authorities to republish also the tender offer of the Windhoek International Airport to Hosea Kutako, but this decision is always the subject of discussion.
The Central Procurement Board's decision comes after Roads Authority General Manager Conrad Lutombi wrote to the Ministry of Transport on February 2, 2018, recommending that the three companies currently building the highways benefit from new extensions for next few kilometers. on advertising offers.
The Roads Authority warned in the past that these projects would be delayed and that it would cost the government more if the contracts were republished. The Roads Authority estimates that it will be cheaper to appeal to current contractors and save up to 251 million Namibian dollars.
The parastatal association is of the opinion that the re-publicity of the road connecting Windhoek to Okahandja, whose completion is scheduled for next year as part of the objectives of "projects of the Harambee Road "will delay the project.
Sources said the Roads Authority officials were of the opinion that the Central Procurement Board did not have the power to award these road contracts because they had been awarded by the previous bidding regime, which gave parastatals the power to make offers.
The Namibian understands that the Central Procurement Board contacted Attorney General Albert Kawana at the beginning of the year to obtain a legal opinion as to whether the awarding authority had the authority to award or extend the contracts awarded under the previous regime; 'purchase.
Kawana declined to comment yesterday while Central Purchasing President Patrick Swartz was not answering a question that was put to him on Tuesday.
In the meantime, the uncertainty is at the completion of the two-way road from Windhoek to Okahandja.
The initial project was to build the road connecting Windhoek to Okahandja simultaneously to the final phase of the project, but the call for tenders was delayed for more than two years.
"There is no way to complete the Okahandja road by next year, as promised in Harambee's prosperity plan," said one familiar with the project. The Namibian this week.
Roads Authority spokesman Hileni Fillemon said the construction of Windhoek Road 4 in Okahandja was progressing. The current phase includes the 27 km road connecting the Döbra River to the Omakunde Interchange.
"Progress on this project is 78%. Five bridges have been fully completed and work is progressing well on the bridges / interchanges we are currently working with, "she said.
The section is expected to be completed in September 2019, she added.
Section 4B, 21 km long, covers the road from Osona Military Base to Otjiwarongo Junction – behind Okahandja on the south side, and will be converted into a highway.
"The design of this section is complete and the Road Administration is currently engaging the government to secure funding for this section," continued Fillemon.
The spokesman said Phase 1 of the road connecting Windhoek International Airport to Hosea Kutako, which extends from Mandume Ndemufayo Avenue to Sam Nujoma Drive, is completed at 60 %.
BUDGET CUT
The Department of Finance and the Department of Transportation have clashed over the years over the call for road offers. The Ministry of Finance blamed the Ministry of Transport for committing the government to road contracts valued at more than N $ 2 billion without consulting the Treasury. Deputy Minister of Transport Sankwasa James Sankwasa said in a letter earlier this year that road contracts were rife with corruption.
There is evidence that the Ministry of Finance has reduced the initial budget for the three road projects.
Documents provided by the Ministry of Transport show that the Ministry of Finance reduced the budget of the three road projects by N $ 292 million when the national budget was revised last month.
The road from Windhoek to Okahandja, which had an initial budget of N $ 241 million, has been reduced by N $ 90 million, leaving the project at N 151 million for the ongoing construction of the road project.
The Windhoek road project at Hosea Kutako has been reduced by N $ 102 million and left at S $ 47 million. This road should be financed by the African Development Bank and a Chinese grant.
The two-way road from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay, with a budget of N $ 149 million, has been reduced to 47 million dollars, reducing the project amount by N $ 102 million.
These project reductions were part of the massive cuts to the Ministry of Transportation last month.
The overall budget of the ministry for this year has been reduced by N $ 700 million from N $ 2.2 billion to N $ 1.5 billion.
Director of Works of the Department of Public Works and Transportation, Anneline Black told The Namibian Two weeks ago, the Ministry of Finance did not consult them when the budget of 29 out of 44 projects was eliminated at a cost of N $ 700 million.
"The Ministry of Finance has not consulted technical ministries about budget cuts in the development budget," Black said.
The Ministry of Finance did not answer questions about the lack of consultation.
The Ministry of Public Works indicated that the modernization of the railway system had also been reduced by N $ 103 million from an initial budget of N $ 371 million.
The Ministry of Transport is also facing poor implementation.
Black, who held the position of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, said that 21 out of 44 projects had not been implemented for this fiscal year due to lack of money.
The department did not respond to questions regarding budgeted projects that were not implemented.
Mr. Black, however, said the department is still making progress, despite budget cuts.
"After reviewing all the projects involved, I can honestly not see how these project reductions will not have any negative impact on these projects," she added.
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