BUSINESS NEWS - The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) published misleading information last month about awarding tenders worth R53 billion to date in its financial year.
Sanral CEO Reginald Demana said in a statement issued on 18 December 2024 that it had awarded R53 billion worth of tenders across the country since the start of the current financial year on 1 April 2024, and provided a breakdown of the tender awards made in its four regions plus its head office.
However, Sanral spokesperson Vusi Mona confirmed on Tuesday in response to a query by Moneyweb that:
“The total value of R53 billion comes from the award value of Sanral tenders, whether it is open tenders, request for quotes (RFQs), or procurement by other means.
“What you will find on the Sanral website are only open tender awards,” he said.
Open tenders and requests for quotes generally refer to tenders that have not yet been awarded.
R13bn, R15bn or R53bn?
Moneyweb’s query followed it being informed by analysts who attended a Sanral breakfast hosted by Absa Securities – about a week before Sanral issued the tender awards statement – where two senior Sanral executives apparently told the analysts that Sanral had in its financial year to date awarded tenders worth about R15 billion.
Absa Securities on Tuesday declined to comment on what information was disclosed at the breakfast, stressing that it was an internal meeting only for analysts.
Moneyweb’s query in December about Sanral’s statement on the tenders awards and details about the top 10 tenders awarded resulted in the roads agency stating: “All tenders awarded are published on the Sanral website.”
However, an analysis of the tenders awarded in Sanral’s financial year up to and including 18 December 2024 listed on its website suggested it had by that date only awarded tenders in that period to the total value of R13.6 billion and not R53 billion.
Moneyweb also asked Sanral to indicate the number and value of its tenders that had been adjudicated but not yet awarded.
Mona did not answer the question but responded by stating: “The total amount of Sanral tenders ‘that are planned for, and not necessarily awarded’, is R168 813 590 549.95.”
Read more on Caxton publication, Moneyweb
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