| Work Detail |
A Chinese company has gone after Parliament over Ksh700 million deal to furnish MPs offices.
The China Jiangxi International Kenya petitioned the matter over the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) after reports emerged alleging that the winning bidder forged documents.
In an application to the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB), the Chinese firm now wants the authority to block the award of the contract to a local firm Nightigale Enterprises Ltd.
China Jiangxi International Kenya argues that the alleged forgery amounts to a breach of tendering laws.
Another application further alleges that Nightigale Enterprises Ltd submitted irregular bank statements and also provided referee companies that were related to it contrary to the tendering provisions.
Nightigale Enterprises is also accused of quoting works it never performed and listing an architecture firm not registered in Kenya.
China Jiangxi further points fingers at PSC over alleged failure to carry out an adequate background check on Nightigale Enterprises in accordance with the law.
In the tender bid to furnish the MPs offices, Nightigale placed a quote of Ksh665.1 million while China Jiangxi’s offered a Ksh699.6 million deal for the interior fitting of the 26-storey office block - a factor that was reportedly used to determine the winning applicant.
The building which stands next to Parliament is being constructed by the Chinese firm at the cost of Ksh6 billion.
“The procuring entity has acted in contravention of the law… as it awarded the tender to a bidder which did not submit a tender proposal that conformed to all eligibility and mandatory requirements," lawyer Mohamed Muigai who is representing Jiangxi International argued.
However, PSC, through Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye, denied the allegations by China Jiangxi adding that the Chinese firm misunderstood the procurement procedure. |
