• This decision has overlooked local suppliers of wooden poles.
• The opportunity was not locally advertised before it was extended to foreign companies.
• This stood to disadvantage local companies adept with the capacity to meet the procurement demand.

Zambia Association of Manufactures (ZAM) says Zesco Limited’s procurement of wooden electrical poles from foreign firms has disadvantaged local manufacturers who have capacity to meet the procurement demand.
Association Chief Executive Officer Florence Muleya told Money FM News that according to Zesco management, the decision to engage foreign firms only for the supply of wooden poles is on the basis that local companies do not have adequate capacity to meet the procurement demand.
Ms. Muleya however noted that this decision has overlooked local suppliers of wooden poles because the opportunity was not locally advertised before it was extended to foreign companies, to substantiate that no local capacity existed.
“Following extensive consultation with our members, ZAM has noted that this decision has indeed overlooked local suppliers of wooden poles. Primarily, the opportunity was not locally advertised before it was extended to foreign companies, to substantiate that no local capacity existed. This stood to disadvantage local companies adept with the capacity to meet the procurement demand,” Ms. Muleya lamented.
She stated that one of ZAM’s members, a major supplier of treated wooden electrical poles to Zesco for many years, boasts of a total installed plant capacity of 60,000 poles.
“In 2022, the said company has planned to produce a total of 30, 000 wooden poles validating the capacity possessed by our local manufacturers who were unfortunately left out of the bid. We look forward to reconsideration by ZESCO to engage our local manufacturers in the sealed bids,” she stated.
And Ms. Muleya reaffirmed the Association’s commitment to supporting and promoting production as well as consumption of local products and services to help grow the economy, with a call for all key stakeholders and consumers of goods and services to always think local first.
On 23rd March 2022, ZESCO published an Invitation for Bids extending to 10 shortlisted bidders for the supply and delivery of 9 and 12 metre wooden poles for use by its construction division.
The invitation shortlisted 10 Zimbabwean and South African companies who have since been invited to submit sealed bids that meet the demand for a backlog of 60,000 connections.