Real Image gets EBC tender

MBABANE – IT businessman Ali Resting’s company, Real Image, has been awarded the tender for the bulk SMSes sent to voters for the 2013 National General Elections.

The tender is for the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC).
The SMSes have been sent to all those who registered to vote and they read: “Dear voter thank you for registering for the 2013 National Elections. The Primary Elections will be held on 24 August 2013. Exercise your right – vote!

The commission has, however, refused to divulge the amount that it paid Real Image for the tender.
It has also refused to state how the tender was awarded to Resting’s company.
The Times of Swaziland has been reliably informed that two other companies had partnered with the intention of providing the EBC with similar services but they were ignored.

Resting yesterday confirmed that the tender had been awarded to his company and so did EBC Public Relations Officer Sabelo Dlamini. When Resting was asked how his company got to know about the tender, he said: “All I know is that we got an invitation from the EBC to participate in this tender. We were given the terms of reference and told to bring a proposal and that is what we did.”
Resting said their proposal went to the government tender board which then awarded them the job.
“These things are straightforward. The EBC is a parastatal so everything has to go through the tender board which queries everything to ensure that there are no abnormalities,” he said.

Resting continued: “We cannot help those who are disgruntled, but there was nothing funny that happened with this tender.”
Resting said they engaged Swazi MTN to get the rates they would offer for such a project and they were given to them just like any other company would approach a service provider like the mobile telecommunications entity.

When the EBC PRO Dlamini was asked yesterday how Real Image got the job since it never went to open tender as well as to give clarity on the two other companies that are said to have initially come up with the idea and why the tender winners were not made public? he responded: “Tender procedures were followed as alluded to in my response yesterday (Wednesday).”

On Wednesday, Dlamini said tender procedures were followed and further stated: “The EBC will compile a financial report as per procedure on all procurements made in the 2013 elections.”

Efforts to get comment from Ministry of Finance Principal Secretary Khabonina Mabuza failed as her mobile phone was off and was reported not to be at work by her secretary.
This reporter was referred to the acting PS Sizakele Dlamini but her phone was also switched off. She was last called at 6pm.

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