Race to register visa partner Home Affairs

Source: IOL, 05/11/2019

Roos also asked Home Affairs what steps it had followed so far to
ensure that the initiative was completed before the expiry of its
contract with VFS Global, which is expected to end in December next
year.
Early this year, MPs indicated they were gravely concerned with the
process that involved the appointment of companies tasked with
processing the country’s visa system.
At the time, the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs penned a letter to
then Minister Siyabonga Cwele asking that his department’s contract
with VFS Global be reviewed, as there were indications that the
company’s contract had allegedly been granted an extension of two
years.
VFS Global is an international outsourcing and technology service
provider for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide.
In his written response, Motsoaledi said the implementation of the
public-private partnership depended on the completion of a preliminary
market evaluation, adding that this needed to happen through a Request
For Information (RFI) system.
“Specifications for the RFI have to be drafted, and this has been
undertaken by a bid specification committee,” he said.
According to Motsoaledi, the specifications in question were approved
by a bid adjudication committee on September 11.
“On the same date, the bid adjudication committee also resolved to
support the registration of the public-private partnership with
National Treasury.”
The committee, he said, also resolved that the RFI specifications
should be validated by a chief procurement officer at National
Treasury.
Motsoaledi, however, indicated that the buck on the private-public
partnership stopped with Minister Tito Mboweni’s ministry.
“This process and the timelines attached to it are outside the control
of Home Affairs, due to the activities required. The department is
therefore unable to confirm whether the public-private partnership
process will be finalised before the expiry of the current contract,”
he said.
Previously, the department extended the contract of VFS Global to
administer the issuing of visas in December 2018 for 24 months, which
was effective from January this year until December 2020.
It is contracted by the department to automate and run the application
process, including managing the call centre and facilitation centres in
the provinces, to strengthen the department’s capacity.
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