Malawi Parliament wants Accountant General fired over enganging Zimbabwean firm on ‘expensive’ Ifmis
Accountant General Chrighton Chimombo is under fire from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament over the procurement of the new Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis) software as they accuse him of not taking advice from the committee and other stakeholders to restarts the bidding process following concerns of unprofessional conduct.
PAC chairperson Alekeni Menyani said Accounta General should be sacked because he led to the procurement of a more expensive third bidder, a Zimbabwean firm, Twenty Third Century, to provide software solutions called Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to operate Ifmis three years after 12 bidders expressed interest.
The Zimbabwean firm was awarded as the vendor to operate Ifmis, although their 2015 bid price of $13 807 561.46 is on the higher side for Malawi.
Twenty Third Century also puts its recurring costs every three years at $3 086 294.73, which the tax payer would have to cough up.
In the 2018/19 National Budget, procurement of Ifmis has been allocated K5 billion
Menyani said d Twenty Third Century is expensive and suspected corruption as there was the lost bidder charging K1.1 billion ($7 million) amongst the bidders.
He said it is “financial recklessness” to go for expensive bidder .
Menyani said the procurement process is flawed and that Accountant General “has to be fired immediately for being unprofessional and because he is taking the country back to Cashgate.”
Chimombo claims the decision on procurement had the blessings of the Office of the Director of Public Procurement (ODPP) , stating that ODPP issued a no- objection to the winning bid.
Public relations officer for the Office of the Director of Public Procurement (ODPP) Grace Thipa whose office has since changed to Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) onfirmed that ODPP granted a No Objection to Twenty Third Century of Zimbabwe added that her institution only checks whether the procurement process was transparent, fair and clear the same for the entity to proceed awarding the contracts.
And Chimombo said the procurement process of Ifmis software followed the outcomes of the “evaluation of submitted bids.”
The bid opening was conducted in Salima on September 11 2015 where 12 bids were opened and their respective prices were announced, which this reporter has seen.
Transnational Computer Technologies had set its bid price at $12 200 000.00 and at a recurring cost of $1 418 780.21 for five years.
Another firm, Free Balance, had set its offer at S$13 995 935.00.
Other bidders include KPMG whose total bid price was $47 858 154.00; TBL whose bidding price $6 573 326.04; Neurotech whose bidding price was $8 883 110.53; State Informatics Sparc Systems Novabase whose bidding price was $28 241 975.00.
Others were Tech Mahindra Limited, whose bidding price was $13 859 996.00; Timestamp whose bidding price was $30 141 770.00; Soft Tech Consultants Ltd, Epcor whose bidding price was $10, 316, 934; Intrasoft Int. TechNet Verve K.O. whose bidding price was $23 096 914.29; and Cleoliv Int. Smart Link Ltd whose bidding price was $14 500 000.
The validity of all the 12 bids was between January 31 2016 and August 21 2016.
Ifmis is a common information and communication technology (ICT) platform which integrates core public financial management (PFM) functions to ensure efficient management of public resources.
However, due to massive theft of public resources [Cashgate] as Ifmis was manipulated, government engaged a Business Process Review study carried out by the task force which proposed a complete replacement of the system by identifying another vendor.
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Amachinda akazi aeni akuluwa ndi ndalama zakuba eti
Ambwiye che Menyani, ngati bidder oluza wakupatsani ndalama ingodyani ndalamazo. Ndi nthawi ya campaign iyi, mwapezerapo mwayi oti mupeze ndalama za campaign. Osakula mutu opanda nawo mnzeru ngati kadzidzi. izi ndi zija munkafuna kuitana nazo chief justice izi. Don’t you think you are interfering into procurement process? Who is best suited between you and ODPP to cancel this process? is the whole ODPP dull that they couldn’t notice the trash you are talking about? we need to move ahead as a nation osati zadyera zanuzo. if anything, you are the one you be fired for incompetence.
Mr Menyani,
You’re not telling the truth, procurement doesn’t only look at the price, it also looks at the technical details and performance of the the contractor and his software.
There are a lot of bidders who submitted above 13,000,000 USD. What justification do you have to single out this one to be expensive?
The gentleman is innocent, let them review the documents which were submitted before he is fired. Lets not forget that the procurement process has three levels of evaluation: 1. Preliminary evaluation. 2. Detailed evaluation 3. Financial evaluation Some bidders are dropped at preliminary evaluation, some are dropped at detailed evaluation and the remaining compete at financial evaluation. I guess the guy who secured the contract met all the necessary requirement which satisfied the process. Its not easy to pick someone who has problems despite having a low price. The best they can do is to repeat the process and see… Read more »
apumbwa!
If what has been stated is true, but I persuade myself that it should not, then we need to call for or declare an Economic National Disaster.
I don’t particularly condone what the president of Philippines (Durtete) is doing to drugs criminals but I think Malawi should adopt the same stance with Malawi criminals who loot like no one is watching. DPP should be ruthless with civil servants who steal or are involved in any criminal activity…..hang them, shoot them, cute their hands or something so drastic that looting should become unfashionable. Like president Durtete, there shouldn’t be even be the benefit of a trial especially with our corrupt justice system. If one or two of these senior civil servants are hanged in public with their balls… Read more »
What is wrong with you. You cant see that Chimombo is being used as a political scapegoat? Wait until you are falsely accused,then you can tell us about dutete
In the Govt and Govt dept. are tired of having IFMIS which delay the cheque processing and more subject to abuses by third parties due to lack of control by controlling officers over their own funding.
Procurement system does not restrict to choose the lowest bidder, rather the one meeting all requirements together with cost effectiveness. PAC is being misled here
We are tired of saying ti and that without action. Just dismiss him, you are the same people who approved him and why do you find it difficult to remove him.