The House Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry has recommended the termination of Helmsman Quality & Technology Services Ltd’s contract (HQTS). The China-based firm was one of six contracted by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to provide Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) services.
Members of Parliament (MPs) from the committee conducted a thorough visit to HQTS’s offices in Dubai and India, where they discovered that the company did not have offices in those locations. Furthermore, it was revealed that HQTS lacked offices within Uganda.
During a plenary sitting on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, Hon. Catherine Lamwaka, Deputy Chairperson of the committee, presented their findings. She stated, “The committee invited UNBS to respond to the issues and recommended a case-by-case review of all six companies. The eligibility criteria were not followed during the pre-qualification process by the technical evaluation committee. UNBS should terminate the contract with the company.”
The committee’s report also called for the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to investigate the circumstances under which HQTS was awarded the contract, citing fraudulent practices in the process.
UNBS had contracted several other companies to inspect and verify goods in accordance with World Trade Organization requirements, including Bureau Veritas Uganda, Intertek International Limited, Quality Inspections and Services Inc. Japan, TUV Rheinland Middle East, and Societe General Desurveilance.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa suggested deferring the debate on the report for two weeks to allow MPs ample time for review. He also urged the trade minister to further investigate UNBS’s decision-making process, emphasizing that the regulatory body often disregards directives from the ministry.
Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, called for close oversight of actions taken in response to such reports, expressing concern that failure to address such issues might encourage fraudulent activities.
In response to the findings, the Minister of State for Trade, Tourism, and Cooperatives (Trade), Hon. Harriet Ntabazi, acknowledged leadership challenges within UNBS, which she believed were responsible for such incidents. She revealed that UNBS had been summoned to her office twice, and they were advised to re-procure two companies, not just one, in light of a matter before the PPDA Tribunal. Ntabazi pledged to investigate UNBS’s failure to comply with the PPDA Tribunal’s recommendation and indicated that the ministry would engage with UNBS’s Board of Directors to ensure proper procurement processes.
