13 firms after passport deal

• 8 local companies go for it
• AG to keep an eye on the deal

T hirteen firms, including eight local ones have submitted proposals to government for consideration on the next passport tender following termination of contract with Techno Brain last year.

Attorney General (AG) Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda confirmed the development in an interview on Monday, saying his office is keeping an eye on the tender and a thorough due diligence will be done to ensure that the next supplier is of high standard and not compromised.

While he could not disclose the names of the firms, the AG said preference for this tender is for local suppliers in line with Section 44 (10) of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act which provides for 60:40 ratio in preference of local suppliers over foreign ones.

Chakaka-Nyirenda said: “We are leaving no stone unturned in our quest to select the next passport supplier. Only a company with the required expertise and a clean record will be picked for the job.

“If it will be an international one, then our position remains that it has to partner with a local firm, otherwise our preference is for firms owned by indigenous black Malawians.”

The AG also hinted that should they establish that any of the bidding firms have ties or links to the former supplier, they will be debarred.

Asked when they expect to hire a new supplier, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services national spokesperson Wellington Chiponde said the process is at an advanced stage and they are doing everything possible to expedite the identification of the new supplier.

He said: “This procurement process is being guided by pillars of transparency, accountability, and ensuring that the process is in accordance with procurement procedures and the laws of our country.”

Chiponde also said the absence of a supplier has affected their service delivery and that is why they are working with speed to hire a new contractor.

“The absence of a supplier has created a gap in terms of our operationalisation effectiveness in the provision of passport services, but our department is doing everything possible to fast track the identification of the new supplier and fill such gaps,” he said.

In October last year, the AG terminated the $60 million (about K47.4 billion) passport contract with Techno Brain after noting some anomalies.

He gave the multinational company a 30-day notice based on Section 46(c) of the Public Procurement Act.

Techno Brain signed the during the then governing Democratic Progressive Party administration. contract in March 2019

The deal was for Techno Brain Global FZE of the United Arab Emirates to upgrade the country’s passport issuance system.

Documentation shows that Techno Brain was sourcing the passport booklets from Vienna, Austria where the average cost of booklet was $9.13 (about K7 221.83) and from Singapore where the cost was around $1.73 (about K1 368.43)

The supplier was then selling each booklet to the Malawi Government at $76 (about K60 166), including the supply of ink ribbons and 1 600 crystagrammes—a series of holographic images required for the printing of e-passport booklets

Rough calculations show that Techno Brain was making a profit of between $66.87 (about K52 894.17) and $$74.27(about K58 708.02) per passport booklet supplied to the Malawi Government. Markups in the price include costs of freight.