Citizens are invited to reflect on and seek clarification from Lusaka City Council
regarding the Manda Hill Footbridge Advertising and Maintenance Lease Contract:
1. The opportunity was advertised in the Times of Zambia on 1 April 2026 for only
ONE Day, as a Leasing Contract opportunity to the public.
– Was this sufficient to ensure broad public awareness and participation?
2. The submission timeline allowed only TWO (2) working days.
– Who realistically had the capacity to prepare and submit a competitive proposal
within such a limited timeframe?
3. A non-refundable fee of ZMW 30,000 was required to participate.
– Does this promote inclusion, or does it limit access to only a few?
4. The tender was not published on the ZPPA e-Government Procurement (e-GP)
system as required by law.
– Can the Council clarify whether all required procedures were followed and if not
why?
5. The notice was framed as an Expression of Interest, yet required detailed
technical and financial submissions.
– Why were full proposal requirements imposed without clear evaluation criteria or
transparency on how decisions would be made as stipulated ?
6. Are there other public tenders in Zambia conducted under similar conditions:
– A single-day advertisement; and
– A two-working-day submission period?
– A non refundable fee of ZW30,000?

A Question of Citizen Interest
This opportunity involves the use of public infrastructure — an asset that ultimately
belongs to the people of Zambia.
However, the advertisement did not disclose any evaluation criteria, scoring
methodologies, or selection frameworks for the two distinctly different services
providers (advertiser and maintainer) both requested through one tender

In the absence of such information, prospective bidders are unable to prepare
responsive and comparable submissions, and the process lacks transparency in how
outcomes will be determined.
This creates a risk of subjective or non-transparent evaluation and is inconsistent
with the principles of fairness, transparency, and competition under Section 6 of the
Public Procurement Act No. 8 of 2020.
– Can it reasonably be claimed that sufficient steps were taken to ensure broad, fair,
and inclusive participation?
– Were citizens given a genuine opportunity to compete and benefit?
– Does this process reflect the national commitment to citizen economic
empowerment and job creation?
Accountability Matters
Lusaka City Council has publicly committed to:
“transparency, accountabi lity and adherence to the rule of law in all its operations.”
The public is entitled to understand how this commitment is being upheld in practice
through this tender.
Call for Transparency Law and Order
These are legitimate questions of public interest.
The Outdoor Advertising Association of Zambia (OAAZ) respectfully calls on Lusaka
City Council to provide a clear, transparent, and accountable response.
The OAAZ further respectfully calls on the ZPPA and other relevant bodies to act in
accordance with their mandate.
Outdoor Advertising Association Of Zambia