|
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Garbage equipment too costly
By Aledel Gonzalez-Cuizon
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
MANDAUE City Councilor Carlo Pontico Fortuna wants the City Government to decline the offer of an international firm for its garbage collection equipment because it is “too costly.”
In a letter to Mayor Thadeo Ouano, Fortuna asked him to “decline the offer because to do otherwise may put the City at a disadvantageous position.”
Schaefer Systems International gave another proposal to Ouano and unlike the previous offer, which was priced in euros, the firm gave a pricing schedule worth some $1.66 million.
With the conversion rate of P56.20 to the dollar, the entire package would cost the City some P93.47 million, which is close to the cost of phase one of the new public market.
Fortuna attached a price quotation of Civic Merchandising Inc., exclusive distributor of Volvo garbage trucks, which are now used by the Cebu City Government.
A 240-liter garbage bin from Schaefer costs about $106.50 while a similar bin from Civic (which sells the Sulo brand made in Germany) costs only $48.
Fortuna gave his reasons point-by-point, including his views on Schaefer’s offer on solid waste management system.
Thorough review
“While Schaefer would like to impress upon us that their proposal is a solid waste management system, a thorough review of the current and previous proposal does not support such view. What they are proposing to us are the equipment and utilities for the city’s collection system which is already in place long before the proposal,” Fortuna said.
Greg Cornall, director of sales for Schaefer Waste Technology-Asia, said in his letter to Ouano that the proposal is “based partly upon our own observations along with the information and data provided by council officers.”
“We have formed the view that significant improvements in hygiene, appearance and transportation efficiency can be brought about by the introduction of the Schaefer Waste Container System in conjunction with modern collection compactor vehicles,” Cornall’s proposal said.
The firm offered a “multi-bin system” where each container can be emptied into a collection vehicle by a multi-purpose hydraulic lifting device.
Prices
Two- and four-wheeled bins cost $98.50 to $415.50 each while compaction vehicles cost $144,500 to $157,747 each.
According to the proposal, the vehicles carry about 25 tons of waste, so the City could save on operational costs, reduce traffic hazards and save space at the landfill.
Project implementation will cost about $85,000.
It includes supervision, communication support advice, staff training, supervision of delivery and vehicle routing and logistical recommendations.
Fortuna finds this aspect of the program “unnecessary.”
“I find no basis for any project to be implemented since what it seeks to deliver to us is not a system but merely a product, specifically garbage bins and a garbage compactor. All it has to do is just train our personnel how to operate the truck and the bins, which I believe is inherent and inclusive in any proposal to sell a particular equipment or machine,” Fortuna said.
He added that the cost is “too exorbitant for a training program.”
(February 26, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here.
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
