The City has agreed to set aside the award of a tender for the development of the City’s new Institutional Review.
One of the most important interventions in the administration of a municipality is the alignment of city operations with the strategic objectives of its political leadership.
The Municipal Systems Act requires that a staff establishment review be conducted following the election of a new municipal Council. It is on the basis of this legislative requirement that an Institutional Review was undertaken by the new administration.
A complaint was lodged by one of the bidders in the tender process for the appointment of a service provider to assist the City in developing the Institutional Review. The complainant approached the court in order to set the tender aside.
During this court process, the parties came to an agreement that, in this instance, the City’s tender adjudication committee had taken consideration of factors not falling within the specifications of the tender as advertised, whilst assessing the various bids.
The City and complainant came to an agreement that the tender process would start afresh and that this agreement is to be made an order of court.
To expedite the implementation of the institutional review process, the City will re-advertise the tender within the next two weeks.
The City commits to ensuring that this new tender process will be handled within the City’s strict procurement processes.
This said, irrespective of today’s decision, the vision behind the Institutional Review, as championed by the Mayor and endorsed by the City’s Council, is aimed at ensuring that the organisational structure of the municipality is more responsive to the needs of residents, customers, stakeholders and businesses.
It is a vision squarely based on improving service delivery, which will remain unchanged regardless of any service provider.