Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Solicitor General has cleared the award of a contract to BMK Uganda Ltd to complete renovation works at the National isolation centre in Entebbe municipality.
Eng. George Otim, the commissioner health infrastructure at the health ministry says that Francis Atoke, the Solicitor General cleared the award of the contract last month.
Otim however says the ministry and BMK were expected to sign the contract by December 31st, 2020 but it wasn’t possible due to pending paperwork.
The Solicitor General cleared the award of the contract after approval from the World Bank that is funding the project.
The National isolation centre located in Manyago, Entebbe municipality was set up in 2009 to handle medical emergencies such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-SARS and Ebola.
In 2015, the World Bank allocated 3 Billion Shillings for the renovation. However, the renovation works have now stalled for more than three months after the health ministry cancelled the contract for Synergy Enterprises Ltd over incompetence.
The isolation centre is expected to handle COVID-19 patients who are currently being managed at Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital.
Eng. Otim adds that the ministry sourced for the new contractor as an emergency procurement because the normal procurement process would have taken at least 3 months.
The Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act, 2003 (as amended), provides for emergency procurement done by government ministries, departments or agencies.
The law requires the contracts committee of the entities to resolve to undertake an emergency procurement process and present it to the accounting officer for approval. The accounting officer who is the Permanent Secretary ministry of health must however seek approval from PPDA for the emergency procurement before awarding the contract.
According to Otim, BMK Uganda Ltd got the contract because it was the second-best evaluated firm during the procurement process and it had also completed the remodeling of the TB isolation ward at Moroto Regional Referral Hospital.
Once completed, the centre will accommodate 50 to 100 beds and will relieve Entebbe hospital and other regional hospitals that are currently overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases.
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