The Immigration Department has been accused of fraudulently awarding a K26 billion tender to Two Trees Investments.
The contract is for the upgrading of the Passport Issuance System and introduction of electronic passports.
According to concerned employees at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, the process of awarding the contract to Two Trees is being done at high speed and bosses at the department want everything concluded by Tuesday.
This is happening when a financial evaluation has not been done and two bidders were fraudulently disqualified.
According to a document authored by the concerned employees, the department invited 10 firms to submit bids but only three firms – Two Trees Investments, Techno Brain and Iris Group RSA – did so.
However, Two Trees later breached rules of the bid when it joined forces with another invited firm.
“[Two Trees] has entered into a joint venture with Zetes of Belgium, another firm that was invited to submit a bid but withdrew its bid and partnered with Two Trees Investments,” says the letter.
The company was supposed to be disqualified for the breach and the employees suspect that this did not happen because Two Trees has the support of high authorities.
When the issue of Two Trees’ breach of rules was raised at a bid evaluation meeting, three senior members of the Internal Procurement Committee went out and called the Director of Public Procurement Public and Disposal of Assets Authority to clear the IPC to proceed with evaluating the Two Trees bid.
They also disqualified the other two bidders, raising suspicion that it was a pre-planned arrangement.
