21/09/2023
ECZ reopens ballot printing tender, encourages local bidders
THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has announced the reopening of the tender for the printing and delivery of crucial electoral materials, including ballot papers, ballot paper posters, blind voter templates, and announcement forms.
ECZ acting chief electoral officer, Bob Musenga, during a press briefing held this morning stated that the commission are committed to upholding the highest standards of transparency in the upcoming elections.
"The decision to reopen the ballot printing tender comes after careful consideration of governance issues in the initial solicitation document."
The ECZ originally released the tender in May 2023, and the deadline for submissions was set for June 28, 2023.
However, the Commission cancelled the tender because it identified significant governance problems.
"This cancellation was in line with the guidelines outlined in Section 69(j) of the Public Procurement Act 8 of 2020," Musenga added.
"Our primary concern is to ensure that the electoral process is free from any irregularities or biases. Cancelling the tender was a difficult but necessary step to maintain the integrity of the upcoming elections."
The reopened tender, scheduled for issuance tomorrow Friday, September 22, will be open to both local and international bidders and the commission has encouraged local bidders to bid for the tender.
"Bidders can obtain the necessary documents from the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) e-GP System, upon payment of a non-refundable fee of K1,000.00 or the United States dollar equivalent," said Musenga.
Meanwhile the Continuous Registration of Voters (CRV) initiative, which commenced on September 5 this year was expanded to include ten additional districts.
This expansion reflects the Commission's commitment to bringing electoral services closer to the people and encouraging broader citizen engagement.
The statistics showed that 3,038 voters were regist
