Question NW1229 to the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation

Reply:

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS:

The National Department of Human Settlements purchased goods and/or services below the amount of R 500 000 connected to the Covid-19 pandemic as indicated below:

Order number	(b)Transaction amount	(c)Service/or product	Deviation
DH-026965	R 8 000.00	Empty Plastic bottles	No
DH-026966	R 25 400.00	Hand Sanitizers	No
DH-026967	R 82 400.00	Cloth Face Masks	No
DH-026968	R 104 550.00	Covid -19 Tests	No
DH-026970	R 174 464.00	Deep cleaning and sanitizing of buildings( 240 JMS; 260 JMS and Struktura)	No.
DH-026980	R 78 000.00	Face Shields	No
DH-026982	R 8 250.00	Foot Operated Hand Sanitizer Stand	No
DH-027009	R 4 800.00	Hand Sanitizers	No
DH-027017	R 41 000.00	Hand Sanitizers Construction gloves Face Shields Cloth Face masks	No
P No. 2420131	R 38 812.50	Hand Sanitizers Sanitizer Dispensers	No
P No. 2420302	R 77 833.00	Nurses appointed to screen employees and visitors	Yes (only two quotations were received).
P No. 2419856	R 242 213.00	Disinfect the DHS buildings for Covid -19 and fumigation of pests.	No
P No. 2419679	R 31 500.00	Face masks and surgical gloves	No
P No. 2419632	R 1 998.00	Thermometers	No
P No. 2419632	R 2 940.70	Surgical masks 3 ply	No
P No. 2419393	R 1935.00	Disinfecting wipes	No
P No. 2419393	R 1 527.60	Sterile gloves	No
P No. 2419393	R 2 491.95	Hand sanitizers	No
P No. 2419393	R 1 981.20	Hand sanitizers and wipes	No

(2)

(a) Yes, there was a deviation concerning the procurement of nursing services as shown in the table above. 

(b) There were no service providers/agencies registered in the National Treasury Central Supplier Database for the supply of nursing services. The Department of Human Settlements identified three agencies, (i.e. Mab Agency; Mednurse and Medwell). Requests for quotations were sent to the three agencies, but only two (Med nurse and Medwell) responded. A deviation was thus approved for procurement to be done based on two quotations.

(3) Goods and services were purchased from service providers with the lowest acceptable quotes. In instances where the value of goods procured was below R 2000.00, petty cash was used and therefore no requests for quotations were sent out. This practice is in line with the Supply Chain Management prescripts.

(4) My Department is available to brief the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation.

DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND SANITATION:

(1) The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) purchased personal protective equipment (PPE). The information relating to expenditure on PPE and other measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 and the suppliers where the PPE were procured from is attached as Annexure A. In addition, the various suppliers used are on the Central Supplier Database.  

(2) No, the DWS did not deviate from the standard Supply Chain Management procedures.  

(3) The reasons for procuring the goods from specific companies was to enable the department to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic through:

• Provision of PPE to employees
• Facilitating the screening of employees at the Head office and Regional Offices
• Disinfection of Office buildings (including Fumigation, Deep Cleaning and Fogging of offices)   

(4) My Department is available to brief the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation.