The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has not been able to complete the Bucket Eradication Programme in the Free State Province for reasons beyond the control of the department. It is for this reason that I have appointed the Housing Development Agency (HDA) to assist with the backlog.
I have been informed that the backlog can be attributed to the procurement of materials on national tender and Works Quotations (WQ’s) below R500 000,00. In some cases, Works Quotations are rendered unsuccessful as bids received are non-responsive due to:
In addition, cash flow and delivery (transport) challenges experienced by successful bidders delayed delivery of material to sites prior and during the lockdown period. However, this has since normalised and some materials have been received.
It should also be noted that Supply Chain Management processes are not geared towards the procurement of materials on short notice as all tenders needs to follow Section 217 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.