The City of Cape Town has cancelled the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of the Foreshore Freeway Precinct.
According to Lungelo Mbandazayo, the city manager, six bidders for the project have been notified of the decision following legal advice on the development.
This comes after several appeals and objections were lodged contesting the application of criteria as set out in the RFP documentation. Following legal advice, the city concluded that a lack of sufficient clarity in the RFP documentation rendered the evaluation vague.
Mbandazayo said despite the fact that the stage 1 bid evaluation process had been concluded in February this year, it was essential that no doubt existed around the integrity of these kinds of processes and as such had decided to cancel the RFP.
“Procurement processes must be compliant with the rule of law, in particular with Section 217 of the Constitution which governs public procurement,” he said. “Furthermore, the economic outlook for the country has become significantly weaker since the issuing of the RFP two years ago. This change, together with the additional burdens that the city, its ratepayers and residents are facing at the moment, cannot be ignored. The city is therefore reconsidering the future of this project and we will communicate further once a decision has been made.”
