Eleven companies have bid to supply netbooks/laptops for the government’s much vaunted One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme.
The bids for the retender were opened this morning in the boardroom of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NP&TAB). Of the three companies who had bid for the project when it was first advertised, only Giftland OfficeMax submitted a bid this time.
The bidders are:
(1) Fatz Express Packaging Services Ltd (of Trinidad and Tobago)- US$21,629,000
(2) Deonarine Singh Manufacturing Company Ltd & PS International Ltd.-$1,633,554,000
(3) Infostock of Spain (Global Services Inc. Local representatives)- US$8,748,000
(4)Giftland OfficeMax – $1,466,775,000
(5)McEnearney Business Machines (MBM), a division of Ansa McAL Trading Ltd.- US$7,846,154
(6)Abbound Trading Corporation (Florida, USA)- US$9,072,000
(7)Enerprises Auto Sales (Guyana) -$2,205,630,000
(8) Johs Gram-Hanssen (Denmark)- US$7,479,000
(9)NJ Computers (T&T)- US$6,858,000
(10) GOHIGH Company (China)- US$7,141,500
(11) Haier Electrical Appliances Ltd (China)- US$8,316,000
Under the OLPF, the government hopes to distribute 90,000 computers to poor families in two years. Phase one, which is being executed this year, is supposed to see 50,000 computers being given to priority groups, which include single-parent, differently-abled and least fortunate family. Families living together as a single household, who earn a combined income of $50,000 or less, are eligible.
The original tender for the supply of instruments was quashed and a new tender announced with revised specifications. Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, in announcing this decision, said that Cabinet had decided to re-tender for the project after the three companies which originally bid– CCS Guyana Ltd, Giftland OfficeMax and Digital Technology– failed to meet the necessary specifications.
