Nuria Piera revealed on her TV investigative program details of irregularities in the US$20 million contract for automated voting equipment to be used in the primaries organized by the Central Electoral Board (JCE) for select political parties, including the ruling PLD on 6 October 2019. DigiWorld, a small company with only seven employees, won the tender last month.
The JCE had called an urgent bid on 28 February 2019 in order to expedite the procedure. The primaries would be a test run for the use of the equipment. Piera says the contract awarded commits the JCE to award the same company the contract for the automated voting devices for the legislative and municipal elections in February 2020 February and the May presidential election.
The investigative journalist said the tender was plagued by irregularities and questions left in the open. She hoped that the decision can be reversed. She said there are violations to the conditions of the tenders by the winner.
Piera said that several highly reputed computer providers told her they did not participate in the contest because they had information the JCE had already decided the contract would go to DigiWorld. Piera highlighted that the JCE went on record explaining the deciding factor to grant the contract for devices for the primaries was the extra briefcases in which to transport the equipment. Several other companies offered better prices in bidding for the same equipment. Piera says if the JCE had awarded the contract to different companies, in prices alone there would have been savings of RD$60 million, enough to cover the briefcases and more.
In the investigative report, Piera also presents that DigiWorld was the only company to offer a lower capacity portable battery of 500 watts, compared to other companies that complied with the bid requirement quoted of 1,000 watts for this equipment. Nevertheless, the JCE graded DigiWorld’s 500-watt inverters with the same points as those of 1,000 watts offered by other companies. Piera says that experts consulted say that as a minimum an inverter of 750 watts is needed to run the devices in case of power failure.
The investigative journalist revealed that in 2012 the same company had been suspended for not delivering computers purchased and paid for in a contract with the OPTIC, the information technology office of the Presidency. At the time OPTIC requested a permanent suspension of the permission for the company to sell to the government. Piera mentioned the equipment had been funded by a Taiwan government donation that requested the investigation. She noted the company was not sent to justice in the case.
She mentioned another inclusive case of a procurement contract with irregularities having to do with the Office of the First Lady.
Piera explains that without doubt, the company’s financial records show it has debt problems. This would be the biggest contract the company has landed.
Piera warned the financial difficulties could result in delays, as had happened with the 2016 general election and the previous JCE under judge Roberto Rosario.
Carlos Pimentel, executive director of Participación Ciudadana, warns about possibly repeating past JCE situations in which tech suppliers did not deliver. He said what is known is that DigiWorld does not have the proven financials to handle a contract of what it was awarded and that the JCE has violated its own rules in the granting of the contract.
But Piera says that regardless, the JCE has pre-authorized a millionaire purchase, a situation for which she says she is not aware there is a precedent. Carlos Pimentel of Participación Ciudadana explains that in the document where the JCE awards the contract to DigiWorld establishes that it commits to purchase the equipment needed for the 2020 general elections from the same company at these same prices or at prices that are to be discussed with the company and agreed upon with the company.
Pimentel is critical of the plenary of judges of the JCE that approved the contract. He said there is nothing in this contract that ensures that the negative past experiences with supplier companies will happen again.
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13 May 2019