Council installs tracking devices on vehicles

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THE Bulawayo City Council plans to install tracking devices on its vehicles to monitor their use, how long they are left idling or how council drivers apply brakes or accelerate.

THE Bulawayo City Council plans to install tracking devices on its vehicles to monitor their use, how long they are left idling or how council drivers apply brakes or accelerate. Chief Reporter According to a 28-page tender document, the local authority said the tracking system will be installed on 82 vehicles to monitor routes, harsh breaking, speeding and excessive idling.

However, the document does not spell out which departments whose vehicles would be fitted with the devices and at what cost.

Council said successful bidders should be able to “provide training to council officials on tracking and usage of fleet management systems, and log in passwords to be provided for tracking”.

Interested bidders will pay $280 and $750 for local and foreign companies, respectively, but the tender documents are quick to indicate that the council has the right to cancel.

Council also reserves the right to accept or reject any bid or cancel the bidding process at any time prior to awarding of the contract.

“Services to be provided by the contractor in respect of this contact are as follows, supply and delivery of tracking services and fleet management systems for 80 vehicles and plant,” part of the tender document reads.

“The systems should be web-based and use the GPRS or GSM network. “The main server should be housed at the tracking company and the back-up server housed at City of Bulawayo.

“The servers should be supplied with a 42-inch monitor and suitably sized to run the tracking software, Arch GIS software and any possible foreseeable updates.”

The document adds that the “contract is personal to the contractor and contractor shall not sublet, assign or make over the contract or any part thereof, or any share of interest to any other person without the written consent of the employer and on such conditions as it may approve”.

Council has several service vehicles, but last year it operated with five reliable vehicles and the remaining 17 required constant mechanical attention.