The re-tender for the supply of computers for the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project was yesterday launched on www.eprocure.gov.gy.
All bids are to be submitted to the Chairman of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NP&TAB). The deadline for the submission of bids is 19th July, 2011.While the project is open to all bidders, subject to provisions of Section V –Eligible countries, “the Office of the President- One Laptop Per Family Project is not bound to accept any bid and reserves the right to reject any and all bids,” the notice said.
The re-tender was expected to be launched since Friday but was delayed as the document underwent “fine-tuning”.
According to the notice on the procurement website, the bidder must submit valid certificates of compliances from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), and business registration.
The bidders will also have to submit a “manufacturer’s authorization for supply of items with contact information to validate authorization”, “bid security”, “audited financial statements for the past three years preceding the year of the bid” and “product brochures”. Documentary evidence to demonstrate that the company and/or agent has been in the business of supplying similar equipment, and has a local office in Guyana to facilitate technical support, after sales service and warranty enforcement when needed, also has to be submitted.
Three Fridays ago, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh announced that Cabinet had decided to retender the project after the three companies which originally bid— CCS Guyana Ltd, Giftland OfficeMax and Digital Technology— failed to meet the necessary specifications.
“Two bids were found to be substantially non-compliant and one was found to be compliant in most material respects,” Singh said. The specifications, he said, will be revised and new bidders invited. “You will not see a fundamental re-write of the specifications.”
Among the possible revised specifications are hardware changes, pre-loaded software requirements and aspects relating to the honouring of the warranty.
Under the OLPF, the government plans to distribute 90,000 computers to poor families over the next two years. The government has said that 50,000 units are supposed to be distributed this year. Controversy has swirled around the project since its launch in January.
