The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has raised concern about the transparency and credibility of the Electoral Commission of Namibia’s (ECN) handling of the emergency procurement tender for printing ballot papers for the upcoming elections.
However, the ECN says that the procurement process for the ballot papers was conducted in strict adherence to the Public Procurement Act.
The IPPR says while the focus had been on the printing firm, Ren-Form, the cancellation of the initial procurement process and the shift to direct contracting have not been thoroughly examined.
Some of the questions raised were: why was the open international bidding cancelled; what are the financial implications; what prompted the shift to emergency procurement; and how was the printing firm chosen?
These questions are raised by IPPR in its latest procurement tracker edition regarding the ballot paper printing tender, given the serious allegations levelled against the contractor.
The tracker emphasises the need for critical scrutiny of the ECN’s handling of these issues, as it casts doubt on the commission’s transparency and credibility, particularly regarding the problematic nature of emergency procurement.
IPPR says the ECN missed the timelines for the procurement of ballot paper printing services.
According to its 2024/25 annual procurement plan, the ECN should have invited bids starting July 25, 2024, but the bid documents were only issued on September 10, over a month late.
The deadline for submissions was October 9, but the ECN cancelled the procurement two days earlier, citing the need to protect electoral democracy and avoid delays in ballot paper delivery.
“Why are there three different timelines that play in this process? Why didn’t the ECN’s own documents and planning synchronise with what they have stated? If you are talking about a self-made emergency, it would seem just from the timelines that if they had started as indicated in their plan in July, the emergency could have been avoided. If they had done a comprehensive evaluation process, this would’ve included appropriate due diligence, which would have included revealing all the controversies around the specific contract, so there need to be answers about what this comprehensive evaluation encompasses,” said IPPR Research Associate, Frederico Links.
The tracker also indicates that the ECN has not clearly explained why it directly chose Ren-Form for the ballot printing contract or how it considered the serious allegations publicly made against the firm and need to be laid out for the public.
The commission, in a statement on October 18, said it will not be detracted by accusations to discredit its work.
Meanwhile, the printing of ballot papers started on October 22 and has now been completed.