The doubts raised by a tender for the provision of digital connectivity services for security

At the end of this week, Mendoza Fiduciaria SA awarded a tender for connectivity services for video surveillance cameras to the Monitoring Centers (MC), and connectivity between the Monitoring Centers and the Integrated Management and Monitoring Centers of the main CEO, South Zone, and Uco Valley Zone.

The tender also includes the provision of materials and spare parts necessary for the maintenance of the entire network infrastructure used for the video surveillance system of the Province of Mendoza.

This tender is part of the Mendoza government 's broad plan to incorporate technology and infrastructure in the province's departments to combat crime through the use of video surveillance cameras that require digital connectivity services to be integrated into the provincial control system.

According to sources accessed by Los Andes, there is concern about the technical and economic capabilities of WAYCOM SA, the company that won the tender, since it was chosen as the successful bidder despite lacking the resources, experience, and technical capacity to meet the requirements of the specifications.

Also participating in the bidding process were Arlink SA, FOPTIK (part of the Telecom Group), and CTC SA , companies with years of experience, financial backing, and extensive knowledge in providing connectivity services, network infrastructure, and digital communications.

Doubts about the reasonableness of this award are based on the economic offer submitted by WAYCOM SA , which has been formulated on strikingly low values that would not be enough to cover the minimum costs for providing the service, even more so since this company does not have - among other aspects - its own fiber optic network, and requires third parties to achieve operational capacity.

This point raises serious questions about how a project valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars can be carried out within a timeframe of no more than 60 days without compromising the integrity of the provision of a critical service that is sensitive to policies to combat crime and insecurity.

While it is true that the bidder has the power to apply sanctions for non-compliance , these do not compensate for damages or losses to taxpayers , beneficiaries of services that are not provided in a timely manner, as established in the specifications.

The sources consulted by Los Andes told them that this is not the first time that, in the area of digital connectivity, services have been awarded to companies lacking the capabilities or experience, which end up being sanctioned and replaced by others that can provide those services, but their offers were conspicuously not considered in the initial bidding process.