Tender doesn't cut it

CIRCUMCISION: 'POTENTIAL HARM' AS TREASURY DEFENDS CONTRACT AWARD

- Tania Broughton

National Treasury has insisted there is nothing untoward in its award of a tender for a circumcision device, claiming that bidders did not have to present scientific data to support its use on adolescent boys.

The device is to be used at provincial health centres and the military.

But the award of the tender to CircumQ is being challenged in the High Court in Pretoria by Unicirc, which says the device is untested and unsafe, especially for boys aged 10 to 14.

Unicirc, which also bid for the tender, is seeking an order which, if granted, will mean the tender process will have to start afresh.

In an answering affidavit, Treasury's chief procurement officer Mendoe Ntswahlana defended the tender award.

But Unicirc codirector Dr Cyril Parker says Ntswahlana, who is not an expert in any field of health care, research, delivery or policy, failed to deal with "uncontested evidence" that there was no scientific data supporting the use of the CircumQ device.

Ntswalhlana had merely stated that the tender did not include requirements that bidders must present scientific data and CircumQ's application had satisfied all requirements of the tender.