M2M Group, a Moroccan based information technology, has offered the lowest bid of 8 million US dollars for 
the supply of 420 Units of Automated Teller Machine and 37 Million birr for the supply of 4000 point of sales machines to the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.
The letter awarding the contract is yet to be issued by the bank and the bank declined to comment on the process until the vendor has officially been announced.
Some other competitors have lodged complaints with the bank alleging that the price quoted by M2M did not include VAT according to sources.
M2M denies any such allegations as baseless according to a senior manager with the company.
It is to be remembered the invitation put out by the Commercial Bank for the supply of Automated Teller Machines and Point of Sales Machines had attracted fierce competition from international and local suppliers.Three international technology suppliers, Moroccan M2M, Indian Copy Cat and CBM, competed for the contract to supply 420 ATM machines to the Ethiopian Bank estimated to be worth millions of US dollars.
Two companies, M2M and SSC, had reached the last stages of the competition to supply 4000 units of POS machines according to sources.
An estimated 71 international and domestic suppliers expressed interest in the international tender issued three months ago but just seven companies submitted technical proposals for the supply of the ATM’s while only five bid for the supply of the POS machines.
Increased automation will enhance CBE’s accessibility and deposit mobilization capacity according to Ephrem Mekuria Head of the Procurement Department of the Bank.
Source: Addis Fortune
