KPU cuts contract with tender winner Survindo

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has cut short its contract with trouble ballot box maker PT Survindo Indah Prestasi due to the firm's inability to meet production targets.

The termination of the contract was inevitable and would ensure the 2.19 million boxes would be ready for the legislative elections on April 5, KPU deputy secretary general Sussongko Suhardjo announced on Thursday.

"After a meeting with Survindo executives on Wednesday evening, KPU decided not to continue the contract," said Sussongko, adding that Survindo could not guarantee production targets because of financial constraints.

The meeting was held as the legislative election was fast approaching and after strong public pressure to solve the problem, Sussongko said.

Sussongko said that Almas, ranked third in the initial tender of companies vying to produce ballot boxes, would now be given the right to produce 10 percent. The share of other main ballot box producer Tjakrindo would also rise from its current 40 percent to cover the rest of production, he said.

KPU would pay Survindo as stipulated in the contract with the company, Sussongko said without elaborating.

The latest decision was the second time the KPU had scrutinized Survindo after it first questioned the firm's performance on Dec. 19.

On Dec. 23, the KPU split off 40 percent of Survindo's tender to another tenderer Tjakrindo.

During the tendering process, Survindo's total tendering "score" was 92, far higher than the minimum requirements. The third-ranked Almas only scored 55.

Initially the KPU was not eager to investigate the firm despite Survindo's failure to produce the boxes on schedule -- only 30,000 boxes of the planned 600,000 as of Dec. 31.

According to KPU data on Wednesday, Survindo had produced 24.6 percent of required 1.316 million boxes (about 323,000 boxes), while Tjakrindo has produced 17.6 percent (or 154,400) of its required 878,000 boxes.

Survindo's new executive director, Lukma Neska, attended the meeting. His factory could still produce the boxes if it had the necessary aluminum he said.

"Our factories can still produce the boxes and we still are waiting for the last raw materials," he said.

Public watchdog Government Watch coordinator Farid Faqih said on Wednesday the KPU should be held responsible for appointing Survindo as the winner of the boxes tender.

The KPU should have realized Survindo had neither the financial support nor the production capability to produce the boxes, he said.

"But it seems KPU did not do their verification properly."

Survindo's contract should have been annulled on Jan. 1 when the KPU concluded that the firm failed to meet its production plan, he said.

Tjakrindo was so far still unable to produce the required targets its production plan, he said.