The City of Bulawayo awarded 26 procurement contracts worth US$6,269,619.41 in June, with the majority going to Bulawayo-based companies, according to council minutes.
Town clerk Christopher Dube reported on July 17, 2026 that the contracts comprised 12 for goods, 12 for non-consultancy services, and two for works.
Of the contracts awarded, 20 went to Bulawayo-based companies, while six were awarded to Harare-based firms.
The contracts were awarded through various procurement methods, including 13 framework agreements, six competitive bids, four direct procurements, and three requests for quotations.
Businesses owned by men secured the largest number of contracts, with 14 awards valued at US$2 262 676.83.
Eight contracts worth US$3 142 225.51 went to businesses jointly owned by men and women, while four contracts valued at US$864 717.07 went to female-owned businesses.
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Notably, no contracts were awarded to youth-owned businesses or businesses owned by people with disabilities, raising concerns about inclusivity in the city’s procurement processes.
The report revealed significant challenges affecting existing contracts.
At the beginning of June, the city had 89 active contracts at various stages of implementation.
Of these, 56 were progressing within planned timelines, 21 were behind schedule, and seven were non-performing.
Among the non-performing contracts were major infrastructure projects, including the rehabilitation of the deep section tunnel sewer, servicing of residential stands in Magwegwe Extension, Emhlangeni Phase II, Emganwini, and Magwegwe West, as well as the refurbishment of Beit Hall.
Two projects, the Deep Section Tunnel Sewer rehabilitation and Magwegwe West stand servicing, are currently under arbitration due to long-running disputes between contractors and the city.
The Beit Hall refurbishment has stalled following disagreements over price variation claims, with the contractor abandoning the site.
Several contract reviews occurred during June.
Watertight Engineering (Pvt) Ltd received an extension to August 14, 2026, after Zesa delayed installing a metering unit.
Whalewind Investments (Pvt) Ltd was granted an extension to July 24, 2026, due to delayed importation of buttons for protective clothing.
Panashe Electrical (Pvt) Ltd received a 20% price variation amounting to US$56,400 for traffic light supplies, attributed to increased copper prices.
The City made payments totalling US$894 379.39 and ZWG3 565 074.07 during June for various goods and services.
The procurement management unit visited several projects to assess progress, and all procurement information was submitted to the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe as part of monthly reporting requirements.
Council resolved that the procurement report “be received and noted.”