VROMI MINISTER GUMBS MEETS WITH SOLID WASTE BIDDERS

The Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), Mr. Patrice Gumbs, held a meeting with the participants that bid on the solid waste tender to discuss the evaluation process and the next steps. The meeting followed from questions raised by the bidders after receiving results from the Mercell tender software. The Minister used the opportunity to address those questions directly and to explain how the process will move forward. As stated in the Terms of Reference, “the highest-ranked compliant Bidder shall be identified as the potential contractor. Prior to award, an indemnification form shall be signed, and the contractor shall substantiate the availability of required equipment in accordance with Article 20. Failure to do so shall trigger reallocation procedures under Article 6.8”.

The Minister confirmed that the evaluation process looks at every parcel individually. It does not consider how many parcels each bidder applied for. As such, if one company bids on all six parcels, they can in fact be the highest-ranked compliant bidder in all six parcels. The tender allows for an allocation of a maximum of two parcels. The bidder is then invited to a meeting to discuss what two parcels they could feasibly manage. This is known as the indemnification meeting. This meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, November 6th 2026. Finally, a verification meeting will be called to establish that all equipment is available. This step was added to the tender, following the outcome of the tender 2021-2026, wherein companies that were awarded contracts, did not have all the necessary equipment.

Participants utilized the meeting to ask questions to the Minister about the software platform and the pointing system utilized by the evaluation committee. The Minister will confirm the process in which bidders will receive feedback on their submissions. Gumbs shared during the meeting that while he will allow the evaluation committee to share specifics to the bidders, he did share that he received signals that points were lost due to bidders having incorrect information attached to their submissions. “We promised transparency, and we intend to keep that promise,” said Minister Gumbs. “If any part of this process raises concerns, we will continue to do our part to inform the bidders and the public about the current status, the next steps, and any implications arising from the process.”

The Ministry is working diligently and in good faith to ensure the process is carried out properly and brought to a successful conclusion. The Minister asks the participants and the wider public to allow the evaluation team to carry out its work to the end.

The Ministry will continue to provide updates as the process advances.