MORE REVEALATION by : Brigadier General (R) Dato Muhammad Arshad

Someone I met Friday last spoke of the frustration that companies have in vying for tenders with the Defence Ministry, especially that of army that is littered with inconsistencies, irregularities and smacks of cronyism with the apparent largess to line the pockets of those officers that works in cohorts with their favoured bidders.

He then referred to a tender bidding for the camouflage army uniform that since 2006 has not been tendered out to a successful bidder, and apparently on grounds that all camouflage army uniform material submitted by bidders for trials and evaluation (both technical evaluation and user trials) did not conform to the required specifications.

Since 2006, a total of three consecutive tenders for the supply of camouflage army uniforms were called for i.e. 2007, 2008 and the last being in 2009, and still a winning bidder has yet to be announced. I have been told that during the 2009 tender exercise, a certain company that had been bidding on all three consecutive tenders, and is believed to have satisfied the user trials requirement, but failed in the technical evaluation.

The failed technical evaluation caused consternation in the company’s management that had themselves conducted their own scientific and technical tests on the camouflage material, and the results conform to the technical specifications required of the tender. This particular company had invested an enormous sum of money to ensure the camouflage material to be submitted for the tender exercise is in compliance with the specification.

Stemming from this supposedly ‘failed tender exercise’, speculations abound that there will be yet another tender exercise for the same supply of the army camouflage uniform; the fourth and hopefully the last. The 2009 tender exercise saw a total of 43 bidders, a mark increase compared to the previous two tender exercises.

From my meetings with previous bidders, they begin to question the justification for calling a new tender bid, knowing full well that during the 2009 tender, some companies have though partially, conform to the required technical and user trials specification. They are of the opinion that these are the companies that should be short listed for a final evaluation, rather than calling for a new tender exercise.

This saves time and unnecessary costs to bidders, should a new tender exercise be called. And furthermore, looking at the manner at how army conducts its trials and evaluation, there is still no guarantee that the fourth tender exercise (if it is to be called), will satisfy the ‘whims and fancies’ of the Tender Board.

Having said the above, and having listened to the grouses and grievances of some of the bidders, I am of the opinion that there are the elements of cronyism, patronage and corruption involved in this particular tender exercise. In is quite evident that the reason for delaying the finalization of this tender exercise is to allow a particular company that is closely linked to the army and civilian bosses to finally win the bid.

This particular company has been winning several contacts with the Defence Ministry, and seems to have a tailoring contract in ‘perpetuity’ with the ministry. The contract includes the supply of some specialized weapons and of late, this company is said to be bidding for a contract for the supply of 30,000 odd bullet resistance vests to army, and with the high probability of winning the contract. The question many had raised………why 30,000 vests? Are we to believe that army intends to eventually equip each soldier with a bullet resistance vest? I certainly cannot be fooled into believing this.

I am also told that this particular tailoring company has in its ‘pay-roll’ some army officers at Army Equipment Branch and including some civilian officers at the ministry’s Procurement Division. This is well known among army officers, but they are too afraid to speak out, for fear of retribution from the bosses. This fear culture seemed to have made weaklings in the officers corps, and if this is not seriously addressed, than there is little that can be done to eradicate corruption that has infected the army, caused by the very few at the top. The idiom that ‘the rot begins from the head’ is certainly true in this instant.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION