Some multinational companies in the IT industry are unhappy with Chief Executive Officer of Botswana Savings Bank, Nixon Marumoloa, after losing out on a multimillion pula core banking and cyber security tender and have launched a smear campaign to discredit him.
After some of the companies which are said to have close links with some senior government official who lost on the Cybersecurity tender strategized their plots to portray Marumola and his executive management as having received some bribes.
Marumoloa told The Patriot on Sunday that government has funded BSB to the tune of P65 million which was budgeted for the core banking solution project and a further P14 million for the cybersecurity project. “We actually flighted two separate tenders, one for core banking system and one for cybersecurity and as of today core banking tender has not yet been awarded,” he said.
He revealed that the Cybersecurity tender has been awarded and cooling off period has passed and they are at contract negotiation stage. On whether BSB has received any complaint regarding the tender, Marumoloa answered in negative but indicated that some bidders requested debriefing.
The modus operandi of the IT gurus was that BSB used an intern to adjudicate on the cybersecurity tender something that Marumola vehemently denied. “We keep a register of tender adjudicators which is signed off and kept as record for any possible audit by any law enforcement agency or auditors,” he said.
Asked if he is aware of any plot to discredit him, Marumola said he is not aware of any as no one ever raised a complaint about him and his team.
The companies which has approached some senior government officials to orchestrate the ousting of Marumola has indicated that his team especially procurement officer‘s expertise in the banking system is wanting as he selected the companies the he only knows with the knowledge and backing of the CEO.
Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs Bomolemo Selaledi indicated that their Procurement Unit which facilitates and manages all tendering processes continues to diligently ensure that projects are managed as per the Banks’s procurement policy requirements. “All Botswana Savings Bank’s tender submissions are taken through the necessary assessment/evaluation and approving/adjudicating structures, which comprise of highly experienced personnel with the relevant expertise,” she responded.