Parliament will cough Shs 7million on fixing a flag pole on speaker Rebecca Kadaga’s official car.
The car, Land Cruiser UG 0257H was accordingly supplied by Toyota and has been missing this specific flag pole for quite sometime.
However, according to the best evaluated bidder notice pinned on the Parliament notice board, MS Japan Auto Care Limited has been named the best bidder for the requirement under procurement reference Number PT/NCONS/RFQ/17-18/01160 and should they sign contract, then will pocket salary equivalent to seven doctors at Mulago.
“Display of this Notice does not constitute an acceptance of the bid or the formation of a contract. The procuring and disposing entity shall not sign a contract during a period of ten days from the date of the notice. Formation of contract shall be in accordance with the PPDA (Contracts) regulations, 2014,” reads part of the notice.
Chris Obore, the parliament’s Director Communications and Public Affairs confirmed the expenditure saying that the price came out of a procurement process.
“That was the lowest bidder, for us… The car we are fixing was supplied by Toyota and we have been using it without a flag pole fixed. At 7.1 million, that was the lowest bidder we could get and the procurement law does not allow us to engage any other supplier even when they are offering the service at 100,000 Shillings,” said Obore.
“If in your view this is so high, even us as parliament we would want to go so low but then, the procurement law must help us… at the moment, that is what the procurement law has delivered, unfortunately,” Obore added.
A car flag pole albeit a magnetic one online (carflags.eu) would cost one 236 euro (about Shs1.2m) and a Z-mount diplomatic car flag pole on the popular Amazon with a height of 14.7 inches and of stainless steel material would cost one about USD 224.9 (about Shs 820,000).
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