The City of Joburg has been made aware of fraudulent requests for quotations (RFQs) for the supply and delivery of 450 YESQTI Reflective Jackets with an RFQ number R02540/ 2019 that are being forwarded to service providers and suppliers.
According to the statement released by the Supply Chain Management Department (SCM), supplier appointment letters are also being issued on behalf of the City of Johannesburg.
Also Read:
https://www.citizen.co.za/roodepoort-record/2018/03/15/costly-scam-rears-its-ugly-head-again/
The City has made a formal statement about the fact that it has not issued any such RFQ or supplier appointment letters. Suppliers are therefore warned to be on the lookout for these fraudulent emails, telephone and fax messages which are issued on fake City of Johannesburg letterheads.
The documents appear to be legitimate as the scammers provide the actual names of some of the officials working at the City’s SCM Department as contact people.
The scammers also request a three- to four-day turnaround time, whereas the City would usually request a much longer period, such as seven days from the day of issue, to allow the suppliers to prepare adequately for their submissions.
The City of Johannesburg distances itself from these bogus RFQs and supplier appointment letters.
Some of the pointers that suppliers and customers should be aware of include:
• The City of Johannesburg’s email addresses always end with @joburg.org.za. Should a supplier receive an email from an email address ending with @joburgmetro.org, @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, @coj.gov.za, or any other such domain name, they should know that it is fraudulent
• The contact details listed on the documentation do not belong to the City
• The City of Johannesburg will only issue RFQs on its official website and on its Tender Notice Board on the 15th floor of the Metro Centre, 158 Civic Boulevard, Braamfontein
• RFQ responses can only be accepted when submitted in the RFQ or quotation box situated on the ground floor of the above-mentioned Metro Centre
Municipalities use three procurement mechanisms for procurement purposes in terms of the Municipal Supply Chain Management Regulations, as follows:
• RFQ with a value below R30 000 (for which an email request can be made)
• RFQ with a value above R30 000 but below R200 000
• Competitive bidding process (Tender) for all values above R200 000
The following process is followed when requesting quotations from service providers:
• Procurement of goods and services below R30 000 can be done through verbal or written quotations. The City of Johannesburg’s SCM Policy makes a provision that only written quotations are accepted and can be requested from the service providers through an email
• RFQs for values above R30 000 are only requested through publication on the website and the City’s internal publications (notice boards)
• The RFQ will always have a landline number (e.g. 011 407 000) and an email contact address (e.g. contact@joburg.org.za) for enquiries.
• Genuine RFQs are only open to potential bidders for seven days from date of issue.
