KPU cuts contract with tender winner Survindo
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.