A FORMER procurement officer of the Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Services testified yesterday that New Zealand medical services company Hospineer, which was awarded a Health Ministry tender, was disqualified as a bidder in CTN 66/ 2011 and CTN 153/ 2011.
Testifying before Justice Usaia Ratuvili yesterday, Solomoni Suguta said Hospineer’s bid involved a “closed system” while the Tender Evaluation Committee (TEC) preferred systems that offered flexibility and cost savings.
Mr Suguta explained that tender CTN 66/2011 involved the procurement of laboratory equipment for subdivisional hospitals, while CTN 153/2011 related to the purchase of three automated biochemistry analysers.
He said the committee compared bids fairly and ultimately recommended a different New Zealand company based on the lowest evaluated cost and the advantage of an open system. However, a waiver was later granted, and the contract was awarded to Hospineer.
In relation to CTN 66/2011, Mr Suguta recalled being summoned, along with a colleague, by former Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma to explain why Hospineer had not been awarded the tender, to which they responded that the decision had been made by the TEC.
The State alleges Dr Sharma intentionally failed to comply with statutory tender requirements and acted to undermine the process in favour of Hospineer.
It is further alleged that former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and former attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum recklessly abused their positions by granting a waiver of the tender process without lawful justification, in breach of the Procurement Regulations 2010.
Mr Suguta said he only became aware of the waiver request for CTN 153/2011 after being informed by a colleague, while for CTN 66/2011, he became aware when he was asked to prepare the purchase order.
The trial continues.
