Selection of Vendor:
There has been some concern expressed by a few regarding the selection of the Vendor for the provision of computers and peripherals to all the schools.
Part of our Schools rebuilding project is the setting up of a state of the art Computer Center in each school. For this purpose we needed to purchase computers and allied equipment for all the schools.
The technical specifications for all equipment was provided to us by the Ministry of Education. We have no discretion in this matter.
Conflict of interest declared:
When we began the process of seeking bids from the leading players in the industry, PDG Krish Rajendran a member of our schools APEX Management Council declared that he had a conflict of interest in this issue as he serves as a Director of DMS Holdings Ltd – the parent company of one of the Vendor Companies. He is a Director without financial Commitments. His interest in the transaction was noted and thereafter Mr Rajendran was excluded from any of the discussions on the subject and the entire evaluation process.
Tender process:
The technical committee for all ancillary matching grant projects related to the schools programme is chaired by PP Bernie Dole
PP Bernie Dole – a Rotarian with a lot of experience in the construction industry and the mechanisms of such tenders - was entrusted with the task of the collection and processing of all bids in connection with laboratory equipment, water purification units and computers.
PP Dole enlisted another well respected CIO of a leading Private Sector Company to assist him in the process.
PP Dole’s teams mandate was to process the offers, negotiate hard with the potential vendors, evaluate offers and make a presentation with recommendations to the Apex committee. The final decision to award the tender was with the Apex committee.
Award:
Having studied the proposals the Apex committee decided to make the award to Ms DMS Electronics, not withstanding the fact that one of its members was a Director of the parent company.
Consequently on the basis of the evaluation given to us, the Council decided to award the contract to M/s DMS Electronics Ltd (of which parent Company PDG Krish Rajendran is a Director as stated above). DMS Electronics is a reputed Company in the forefront of the computer industry in this country and was selected purely on merit.
As with the laboratory equipment and the water purification units, PP Dole was not involved in the final decision to award the contract to DMS Electronics. His role was to conduct a thorough evaluation and forward it to the Board. The Board subsequently made the unanimous decision to opt for DMS Electronics.
Vendor criteria:
The Vendors were selected on the basis of their reliability and reputation. They had to satisfy criteria in relation to their past track record, number of years in business, the number of machines sold and serviced in Sri Lanka (minimum 5,000 units), authorized reseller from Principals of hardware and software.
The vendors also needed to have the ability to install and service software, and possess recognition by Microsoft as their Certified Partner, proof of present servicing of machines around the country, and in the areas where the schools are located etc.
The four vendors selected for the proposal were:
- DMS Electronics Limited
- Metropolitan Limited
- Soft Logic
- PC House
To see a detailed evaluation analysis click here 
