Unidentified firm sought €350,000 to dispose of e-voting machines

ONE COMPANY demanded more than €350,000 from the Department of the Environment to take the Government’s defunct e-voting machines off its hands.

In June Co Offaly firm KMK Metals Recycling won the tender for the machines when it signed a contract to dismantle and recycle the 7,600 e-voting machines after agreeing to pay the State €70,267.

The machines from an ill-fated €55 million government project had been in storage facilities across the State for the past decade before the department awarded the recent contract.

However, in details revealed yesterday concerning the unsuccessful tenderers, the department confirmed four of the six unsuccessful bidders demanded money from the State to dispose of the machines.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, the department said one unidentified firm demanded €351,648 in fees to take the machines, while a second looked for €181,701.

The department further confirmed that two other firms demanded €36,296 and €15,874 respectively, while KMK Metals Recycling had two underbidders who offered money for them.

The documentation shows that one firm bid €12,586 for the machines, while the nearest bid to KMK Metals’ bid was €66,762.

The department revealed the list of unsuccessful tenders, but declined to reveal their tender prices due to the commercial sensitivity of the information. It also refused to release documentation that evaluated the various tenders.

The managing director of KMK Metals, Kurk Kyck, said yesterday the contract was “going perfect” and he expected the work to be completed in September. He said 5,000 of the 7,600 voting machines had been collected to date and the disassembling was continuing on a daily basis.

Seven staff are employed on the project. The firm will have a ready market for the shredded metal and plastic from the machines, Mr Kyck added.