E30M REQUIREMENT FOR 2 GOVT ROAD PROJECTS

MBABANE – Government has issued two major tenders for construction of roads in Siteki and Siphocosini and they come with strict conditions.

 The procuring entity is the Roads Department under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and bids  are  being invited from suitably  qualified  local  contractors registered  under  Category  C1 with  the  Construction  Industry  Council  for  the  2020/2021 financial year.

The first tender is for the construction of the 6.5km long D78 (Siphocosini –Sigangeni) road in the Hhohho Region.  The  road  begins  at  the  intersection  of  the  D78  and  MR19 (Mbabane –Bhunya)  road  at  the  Siphocosini  area  and  traverses  in  a  northerly  direction towards the Sigangeni area. The road is presently of uneven gravel surface and carries light vehicles and heavy logging trucks that service the Montigny Forestry Company.  The  road also  traverses  agricultural  areas along  the  Siphocosini –Sigangeni  corridor and  its improvement  seeks  to improve  transportation  services,  aid  social  development  of  the  area and further encourage regional and international connections.

The second project is for the construction of the 6.5km long D12 (Siteki–Tikhuba) road in the Lubombo Region. The road begins at Good Shephard Hospital along the D12 road and traverses in an easterly direction towards the Tikhuba area. The road is presently of uneven gravel surface and carries light vehicles that commute between the Siteki town and Tikhuba and Mambane areas. The road traverses mainly rural areas along the Siteki –Tikhuba road corridor   and   its   improvement   seeks   to improve   transportation   services,   aid   social development of the area and further encourage regional connection.

According to the tender document, the tenderers  should  provide  information  on  as  many  projects  as  they deem  necessary  to illustrate their experience in works of a similar nature.

projects

“The tenderer is expected to mention projects that are consistent with the following requirements: tenderer   must   have   completed   at   least   one   similar   type   of   project   with   a single/double seal in the past five years. Tenderer must have completed at least three road projects in the past 10 years with a value of over E30 million. Tenderer  must  have  completed  the  construction  of  a  paved  road  of  more  than five kilometres in length in the past  five years,” read the specification in part. 

In both projects,  the work will consist of site establishment; accommodation of traffic; setting out of works; preparation of road bed and construction of subsequent pavement layers;  and installation of new drainage structures as per the engineer’s instructions, among other tasks. Putting up road signs, markings and road furniture is also on the menu.

The construction period is eight months. This includes all public holidays as gazetted. 

“The  accommodation  of  traffic  will  have  a  marked  influence  on  the  programme  and  the aspect of the work should be accommodated in the programme. A  construction  programme  in the  form  of  a  diagram  will  be  submitted  within seven days  after being awarded the contract in order to indicate the sequence of the works,” reads the invitation.

There will be a compulsory pre-tender briefing at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport conference room at 10am on October 7, 2020 after which no sale of tender documents will take place. The tender will be valid for 90 days calculated from October 23, 2020.

“Please  be  advised  that,  being  the  lowest  tenderer does  not  guarantee  any contractor to be awarded all the jobs. The Government of Eswatini does not bind itself to accept the lowest tender or any tender,” reads the tender document.

The tender documents were available from  this past Thursday, upon payment of  non-refundable E1 000 payable  at  any  Eswatini Government Revenue offices under the Payment code; Head 53 Responsibility Centre 2101, Item code 21132 Upon  payment  of  the  above-mentioned  amount,  documents  can  be  obtained  from  the following the Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (ESPPRA) website. The deadline for both tenders is October 23, 2020.

budget

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport Khangeziwe Mabuza’s phone rang unanswered when sought for comment on the budget of the two roads and the time frame. Minister Chief Ndlaluhlaza had asked for a message to be sent but he had not replied by 12:44pm yesterday.

Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg, in his Budget Speech in February, said the significantly large investment that government made in the road transport infrastructure was a reasonable measure of success over the past years. 

“Through the support of government’s development partners, further road infrastructure improvements will be carried out including the construction of the Manzini Golf Course interchange. The service roads along the MR 3 highway will, once fully completed, help to ease the traffic congestion along this corridor, as it has proved to be the backbone of the country’s road transport network. Despite some challenges faced during the implementation of certain projects such as the Nhlangano –Sicunusa road, it remains imperative that such projects be completed and government is currently addressing the issues related to these projects. To ensure that the lifespan of such investment is protected, there is a need to setup a roads maintenance agency,” said the minister.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Siteki-Tikhuba is long overdue, if events of the past are anything to go by.

Back in 2011, sister publication Times of Eswatini reported that three people were certified dead after a tragic bus accident occurred on the Siteki-Tikhuba public road, while an eight-month-old child miraculously survived without any injuries. The bus, Insele Transport, collided with a truck ferrying river sand, by Mphundle High School. It was a reported to be a third accident in three weeks. When interviewed at the time, some of the passengers who commute daily from Tikhuba to the town of Siteki, reported to have witnessed three accidents along the same road in less than a month. The Siteki-Tikhuba road is said to be narrow but has sharp corners, which makes it difficult for drivers to see oncoming traffic

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