PHILIPSBURG: The Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), Mr. Patrice Gumbs, met with participants who bid on the solid waste tender to discuss the evaluation process and next steps. The meeting followed from questions raised by the bidders after receiving results from the Mercell tender software. The Minister used the opportunity to address those questions directly and to explain how the process will move forward. As stated in the Terms of Reference, “the highest-ranked compliant Bidder shall be identified as the potential contractor. Before award, the contractor must sign an indemnification form and substantiate the availability of required equipment in accordance with Article 20. Failure to do so shall trigger reallocation procedures under Article 6.8.
The Minister confirmed that the evaluation process reviews each parcel individually. It does not consider how many parcels each bidder applied for. As such, if one company bids on all six parcels, it can be the highest-ranked compliant bidder on all six parcels. The tender allows for an allocation of a maximum of two parcels. The bidder is then invited to a meeting to discuss what two parcels they could feasibly manage. This is known as the indemnification meeting. This meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, November 6th 2026. Finally, a verification meeting will be called to establish that all equipment is available. This step was added to the tender following the outcome of the 2021-2026 tender, in which companies awarded contracts did not have all the necessary equipment.
Participants used the meeting to ask the Minister questions about the software platform and the scoring system used by the evaluation committee. The Minister will confirm how bidders will receive feedback on their submissions. Gumbs shared during the meeting that while he will allow the evaluation committee to share specifics with bidders, he received signals that points were lost because bidders included incorrect information in their submissions. “We promised transparency, and we intend to keep that promise,” Minister Gumbs said. “If any part of this process raises concerns, we will continue to do our part to inform the bidders and the public about the current status, the next steps, and any implications arising from the process.”
The Ministry is working diligently and in good faith to ensure the process is carried out properly and brought to a successful conclusion. The Minister asks participants and the wider public to allow the evaluation team to complete its work.
The Ministry will continue to provide updates as the process advances.
