FINANCE Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila tabled three old annual reports of the Tender Board on the first day of Parliament on Tuesday.

It could not be established what caused the delay.

The only substantial information that could be extracted from the ten-page glossy report of the 2005-06 financial year was that tenders worth N$46,7 million were awarded to black economic empowerment (BEE) companies.

The board, which is comprised of all permanent secretaries and is chaired by Calle Schlettwein, PS in the Finance Ministry, approved 446 Government tenders worth N$619 million and 141 tender exemptions worth N$170,4 million.

In the 2006-07 financial year, things looked better when the Board approved 638 Government tenders totalling N$868,3 million. Exemptions from tenders came to a staggering N$1,6 billion. Tenders awarded to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and formerly disadvantaged groups came to N$76,3 million.

During the 2007-08 financial year tenders soared to over N$4 billion, but only N$624,3 million of that amount was paid for warded tenders. The amount of N$3,4 billion was spent on tender exemptions.

"This increase in approval for tender exemption could be attributed to factors such as urgent construction of and extensions to school classrooms due to the exceptionally high demand for classrooms in the Khomas Region and in northern Namibia for the ever increasing number of learners," Tender Board Chairman Calle Schlettwein justified the exemptions.

SMEs received tenders for N$105,4 million. BEE groups won tenders for altogether N$84 million.