Probe launched into Kericho County ambulance tender mystery
What you need to know:
- An LPO showed the company had previously done business with the West Pokot county government.
- It could also have used suspect recommendation letters from government agencies.
The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has launched investigations into how Kericho County government awarded Delta Equipment Ltd a tender to supply an ambulance and a utility vehicle at Sh42.3 million.
It has emerged that Delta Equipment Ltd may have used questionable documents to win the tender.
A Local Purchase Order (LPO) showed the company had previously done business with the West Pokot county government.
It could also have used suspect recommendation letters from government agencies.
In a letter received by the office of the governor on July 14, Mr Thomas Odhiambo – the manager in charge of complaints, investigations and enforcement at PPRA – wants the county government to produce the relevant documents used in the award of the tender.
IFMIS-GENERATED LPO
“Submit your response and proof explaining how the procuring entity complied with the provision of Section 74 (1) (i) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act of 2005,” Mr Otieno says in the letter to Kericho County Secretary Joel Bett.
The tender was awarded on May 4.
The section provides that the accounting officer shall ensure the preparation of an invitation to tender that sets out requirements of serialisation of pages by the bidder for every bid submitted.
The investigations come after Toyota Kenya filed a complaint to PPRA, saying it was denied the tender unfairly despite having submitted a Sh35 million bid.
RE-EVALUATE TENDER
Toyota Kenya wants the tender re-evaluated.
Among the questionable documents the company reportedly used to win the tender is an LPO and several recommendation letters.
An Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis)-generated LPO the county government sent to Delta Equipment Ltd shows that the firm was to supply one ambulance at Sh34.5 million. The LPO is dated May 13, 2020.
The county has also committed to pay the company Sh7.8 million for the supply of a truck caravan for outreach programmes, which is captured in the May 7, Ifmis-generated LPO.
The two LPOs were approved for payment on May 19.
Mr Alli Abdille is listed in one of the contract documents as the director of Delta Equipment Ltd, a company whose physical address in Nairobi could not be located by the Nation.
COMPANY OFFICES
A 2020 single business permit provided by the Nairobi County government shows that the company has offices on Kindaruma Road, off Ngong Road but it neither indicates the building nor floor.
The documents show that the county government entered into an agreement with Delta Equipment Ltd for the supply of the vehicles on May 4.
In the agreement, Mr David Ekwam – the chief officer in charge of health services represented the county while Delta Equipment Ltd was represented by its head of operations Robert Mwangola.
Initially, Sh42.3 million had been budgeted for the purchase of three ambulances and a utility vehicle.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has begun looking into why the number of ambulances changed from three to one, with the price remaining at Sh34.5 million.
Contacted, Mr Bett denied knowledge of Delta Equipment Ltd.
He referred the Nation to Mr Ekwam.
The latter, however, did not respond to our inquiries.
