Cleaning contractors get relocation and termination letters |05 November 2020

Based on the last coordinated cleaning tender of 2018, a group of existing cleaning contractors yesterday received their letters of termination of contract, as well as relocation lots from the Landscape and Waste Management Agency (LWMA).

The termination letters, dated November 4, serve as a notice period of 30 days as per condition of their contract agreement.

As from December 4, the contractors will have to demobilise off the sites and will no longer hold a service agreement with the LWMA.

The different cleaning contracts provided by the LWMA include road cleaning, bus shelter, bin and bin site and additional road contracts.

Out of the 163 lots for Mahé, 115 will be awarded with new contracts with the new contractors winning 84 bids – North 14, Central 19, East A 11, East B 14, South 13, West 13 – while the existing contractors have secured only 31 bids – North 9, Central 3, East A 4, East B 5, South 7, West 3.

There are actually 61 existing contractors who will be offered temporary contracts, while 12 remain without any offer so far.

Explaining the different procedures, procurement manager for the LWMA, Christina Dora, said since the existing contactors were already in agreement with the agency, most of them did not bid for a new contract, therefore, new bidders stepped in and that is why most of them have been successful.

She however added that some of them have been allocated a new contract since there were no successful bidders on their respective sites.

“Some contractors who are pensioners have also shown no interest in seeking a new contract,” she added.

Acting chief executive of the agency, Walter Mangroo, who was also present at yesterday’s meeting, further added that some simple administrative mistakes have also helped in preventing the existing contractors from getting a new contract.

These, he said, include tax evasion and paperwork errors.

He further explained that some existing contractors were not mindful of the bidding process, thinking that they will be automatically granted a new contract.

A mistake which he said has cost them dearly since they have been sticking to old practices, instead of taking advantages of their knowhow of the trade and process.

According to the standard Bidding Documents for Procurement of Cleaning and Maintenance Services, under project Provision of cleaning and maintenance services, a bidder shall submit only one bid per Lot, in the same tender process, either individually as a Bidder or as a partner in a joint venture, while a Bidder who submits or participates in more than one bid per Lot will be disqualified

The Bidder is expected to examine all instructions, forms, terms, and specifications in the bidding documents. 

Failure to furnish all information required by the bidding documents or to submit a bid substantially responsive to the bidding documents in every respect will be at the Bidder’s risk and may result in the rejection of its bid.

The Procuring Entity will respond to any request for clarification received earlier than 14 days prior to the deadline of submission.

Copies of the Procuring Entity’s response having any incidence in the preparation of bids will be forwarded to all those who received the bidding documents directly from the Procuring Entity’s but without identifying its source.

Bidders shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of their tender, and the procuring entity, will in no case be responsible or liable for those costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the tendering process.

If a bid is not substantially responsive, it shall be rejected by the Procuring Entity, and may not subsequently be made responsive by correction or withdrawal of the non-conforming deviation or reservation.

Roland Duval