Abuja — Ahead of the award of the contracts by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to procure the Direct Digital Data Capture Machines (DDCM), an official of the commission has explained why it preferred the services of foreign manufacturers in the purchase of the machines.

The contract awards are expected to be signed today or tomorrow, it was gathered.

THISDAY gathered that the Presidency advised INEC to ensure that it had direct dealings with manufacturers, instead of vendors and linkmen who might not deliver the equipment on time.

It was gathered that INEC has already redeployed the Director of Information and Communication Technology over his disagreement with the Kenyan consultant, Nyimbi Odera, over technicalities.

The redeployed director had insisted on the use of windows on the ground that it is branded and protected from abuse, but the consultant insisted on Linux.

However, the source said the contracts would be split into six units as each of the contractors would be asked to deliver directly to each of the six-geopolitical zones for ease of access to the states.

Meanwhile, an INEC National Commissioner who spoke to THISDAY that the manufacturers would reduce the cost of the machines and because the specifications are more technical, said it could be more difficult for the vendors and linkmen to meet.

It was in this regard, the INEC commissioner explained, that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, wrote directly to one of the preferred bidders in China, the Lenovo Company.

The INEC chairman, in a letter dated August 18, 2010 with reference number INEC/CH/GC/073/ VOL 1 and addressed to Lenovo, No 6 Venture Avenue, Haidian District Beijing, had written in part: "Further to enquiries by the China office of the UNDP on behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria regarding the acquisition of hard ware for direct data capture. I write to request for additional information from you. In order to complete the procurement process the Government of Nigeria would want to know the prices and delivery timeliness for different quantities of equipment. Kindly provide the information in the following format.

"The equipment for which the Commission sought the prices and timeliness of delivery are Laptop Computer, High resolution Webcam - 4mgpixels, fingerprint scanner at least 600pi, portable Standalone Printer with battery pack, backup battery, semi rugged casing to contain the items above and the cost of airfreight and insurance."

The company was further asked to provide the validity period of the said items. It is expected that the DDCM systems to be supplied would offer an operationally feasible method of capturing the details of a large number of voters within a restricted timeframe. It also assumed that a data capture system that is to be supplied would be capable of capturing accurately, fingerprints, scanned, picture taken and a temporary voters' identity card printed all within a space of seven minutes.

The process, according to INEC's specification, is expected to be repeated at least 50 million times in different terrains and conditions, with the hope that the machines would reduce error in data capture, with a large keyboard, and visible display; would permit operations in all weather, permit operations in various lighting conditions including bright sunlight and low light conditions.

The machines are expected to be delivered by the first week of October for training of personnel to commence.