Ekurhuleni deal a victory for local IT

By Rodney Weidemann for Pinnacle ICT
Johannesburg, 10 Jun 2003

A R12 million contract to supply Gauteng`s Ekurhuleni municipality with 1 655 computers, originally targeting overseas firms only, has been awarded to SA-based Pinnacle Micro, which was one of a group of SA companies that objected to the exclusion of local firms from the bidding process.

According to Shawn Marx, Pinnacle`s MD for Gauteng, the fact that the organisation won the re-issued tender shows that locally made products can measure up to the international brands, in terms of quality.

The tender was re-issued after the company - supported by many of the other industry players, such as Sahara and Mustek, as well as Proudly South African - raised objections to the exclusion of local firms.

"We had a meeting with the municipality, and after we explained to them about local content, empowerment and job creation issues, they decided to rewrite the tender to include locally-based businesses as well," says Marx.

The original tender had specified that only Dell or Compaq computers would be acceptable.

"Prior to this meeting, the attitude seemed to be that international products were of superior quality to our local ones, but once we had a chance to sit down with them and demonstrate what our machines are capable of, they realised that they can get the same, if not better quality, from local products.

"Not only that, but the tender will be fulfilled by two of our local black empowerment partners, namely Bromide and Nibuse, businesses that would have missed out on this contract, had local products been excluded."

He believes that if one of Pinnacle`s Proline computers was put next to a Dell machine and the two were compared spec by spec, there would be hardly anything to differentiate them.

"Local brands have matured and are on par with many of the imported brands, which means that the market now has the option of keeping its purchases local and enhancing local industries. After all, if we don`t look after our own brands and products in SA, no one else will," he says.

"The beauty of this is that more and more, we are seeing big government tenders opened up to local bidders too and if the local bid is competitive, it should always win out over the internationals, as it will be just as reliable, it will be cheaper, and it will provide for job creation within the country.

"We are definitely beginning to make people realise that local is better - we are getting there slowly but surely."