CSI on Overpriced Chairs for MOM staff - LIE Exposed! MORE Cases!

[makapaaa]

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[TD="class: msgtxt"][h=1]Designer chairs for MOM staff[/h]my paper
Fri, Mar 25, 2011

IF YOU are a staff member working at the Ministry of Manpower's office in Kim Seng Road, count yourself lucky - you may get to sit on a comfortable designer chair.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has spent almost $272,000 to buy a total of 472 Herman Miller chairs for its staff.

The model Celle, which MOM bought, was launched in 2005 and is named after its cellular suspension.

Its seat and back are made up of loops and cells which flex individually to give good support.

Herman Miller is an American manufacturer of office and home furniture based in Zeeland, Michigan.

The tender for the chairs, which was placed on the Government's electronic procurement portal, GeBiz, was awarded to home-grown furniture company Xtra Designs on Jan 31.

"We conducted an open tender in accordance with government procurement guidelines. The brand of the chairs was not specified in the tender invitation," said a MOM spokesman in reply to queries from my paper.

Xtra Designs, located at Park Mall, is the sole authorised dealer for the brand here.

The MOM spokesman said that the chairs, which cost $575 each, were chosen because of various factors, such as their ergonomic design, durability and value for money.

"Taking all these factors into account, the successful tenderer meets our requirements and offered the best value for money over the lifespan of the chairs," added the spokesman.

The chairs, which have not been delivered, will arrive in batches.

Xtra Designs was selected out of a total of 11 companies which submitted their quotations to the ministry.

The chairs come with a 12-year warranty, which covers all parts, including on-site support and the option to repair or replace.
Xtra Designs managing director Lim Choon Hong confirmed the warranty coverage.

Mr Lim also highlighted that a feature of the Herman Miller Celle chair is that it is 99 per cent recyclable, and is made with 33 per cent recycled content.

He said: "This is an important acknowledgement and response to the global and our Government's direction towards environmental sustainability."



(http://liangkaixin.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/much-ado-about-chairs/)

Posted on <!--<time class="entry-date" datetime="2012-08-15T08:13:39+00:00">-->August 15, 2012<!--</time>-->

Hi guys, you know there was this hooha on Ministry of Manpower and their ergonomic chairs right?

Link to story: http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110325-270092.html

In short, they “spent almost $272,000 to buy a total of 472 Herman Miller chairs for its staff.”

One chair costs $575 – sparking public debate whether the chair is too expensive and excessive.
That was last year.

In a recent report, audits by Auditor-General’s Office have shown that “the Ministry of Manpower was found to have given inadequate oversight in awarding a tender for the purchase of office chairs”.

Link to story: http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120814-365192.html

The audit report is online. On pg32, it states that “the tender approving authority accepted the TER which, without showing cost-effectiveness consideration, recommended the award of tender to the highest bid. This raises doubt on the adequacy of scrutiny by the approving authority in the tender award process.”

But guess what? I was checking GeBIZ, the govt website for tendering and awarding of procurement…

And the Ministry of Manpower is not the only one buying such expensive chairs.



The Attorney-General’s Chambers procured 200 chairs at $597 each, totalling $119,400.

It was awarded on 20 March 2012 to Xtra Office Pte Ltd.

Spring Singapore too:




28 chairs at $650 each, total $18,200.

It is awarded on 1 Aug 2012, to Xtra Office Pte Ltd.


Incidentally, Xtra Office Pte Ltd is the same supplier to Ministry of Manpower in 2011.


To do more comparison, I did more digging:

Prices of office chairs at Ministries and Stat Boards
		Price /unit	Qty	Total
Spring Singapore	Supply of Chairs to SPRING Singapore at Connexis South	$650	28	18,200
Subordinate court	High Back Chairs- Supply and delivery	$350	20	7,000
	Mid Back Ergonomics Chairs- supply and delivery	195	200	39,000
Ministry of Home Affairs-Singapore Civil Defence Force	Supply and delivery of Chair Executive, Medium Backrest	165	30	4,950
National Environment Agency	Mid-back Armchair with mesh-back support backrest	210	20	4,200
	Mid-back Armchair with mesh-back support backrest	350	20	7000
Public Utilities Board	4120706/3PN/Provision of Office Chairs and Delivery to Environment Building	150	17	2550
Ministry of National Development-Ministry Headquarter	Supply and Delivery of Office Chairs	170	100	17,000
MCYS – Rehabilitation and Protection	General Office Chairs (Corporate Service Unit)	350	13	4550
Attorney-General’s Chambers	Tender For The Supply And Delivery Of Up To 200 Units Of Ergonomic Office Chairs To Attorney-General’s Chambers	597	200	119,400
Attorney-General’s Chambers	Office Chairs (Without armrest) – up to 350 units of office chairs as indicated in Annex A	155	350	54,250

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Most chairs procured by ministries and stat boards in the past 6 months are priced from $150 to $350.

All these numbers are obtained from www.gebiz.gov.sg, I just compiled them on an excel spreadsheet.

Granted, I have no idea how these office chairs look like or their differing functions/comfort levels.

But should stat boards purchase expensive chairs?

 

[makapaaa]

More postings here:

http://forums.fuckwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/%5Bnews%5D-mom-staff-get-ergonomic-chairs-3158882-15.html

 

[makapaaa]

From:

rodliao (sgbuster)

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Let's see if this botak can handle the truth !

Mr Tharman on upholding the integrity of public sector procurement


04:45 AM Aug 14, 2012

"Let me first put matters in perspective. Our system of public sector procurement is on the whole in good working order. The system is based on the principles of open and fair competition for public tenders, getting value for money, and an unequivocal stance against corruption or any other abuse of the trust placed in public officers.

"Our procurement rules are sound, and we continue to review and improve on them. The rules are in line with standards in most other reputable jurisdictions. They put in place checks and balances without adding unnecessary layers of bureaucracy. The majority of public sector officers abide by the rules and live up to the conduct we expect of them as stewards of public funds. But in a system with 80,000 procurements each year, we will have lapses even as we strive to avoid them. We therefore place great importance on independent audits of public sector procurement, keeping open all channels for possible irregularities to be reported, and taking robust enforcement action when any wrong-doing is established.

"It is therefore a whole system - not just the rules governing procurement, but honest officers who implement the rules, diligent supervisors, and regular audits. When questions are raised, we investigate promptly. Officials who are negligent are subject to disciplinary proceedings. Where corruption or fraud is suspected, an officer faces the full measure of the law. Everyone knows that, and it deters wrong-doing.

"The Government also acknowledges problems openly, even if it brings embarrassment to any of our agencies. It is how our system must continue to operate, so that its integrity is never in doubt. This is also why Singapore is widely recognised internationally as having a clean system of government that works."

 

[kongsimi]

Bloody hell, buy new chairs for civil serpants choose the highest bids.

Tender contracts for peasants choose the lowest bids!

What the fish!

 

[singveld]

that a bargain

look at this

Now, an office chair that corrects posture and makes you happy

A Swiss doctor has invented an office chair made from carbon shells used in Formula One car production, which he claims is not only good for your posture but is also thought to make you happier.

The creation, by Dr Patrik Kunzler and designer Ben Fluri, called the LimbIC is different from the standard design currently used by workers the world over, the Daily Mail reported. It doesn't have a back or arm rests and the seat is made from two carbon shells, used in Formula One car production, which move with the user.

The design, developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focuses on movements of the body and helps with posture as well as relaxation. And the user is supposed to feel a sense of weightlessness - which can have a positive affect on performance, creativity and also mood.

"The effortless, upright position relieves the intervertebral disks in the spine by avoiding pressure points," Kunzler said. Named after the human limbic system, the part of the brain that stimulates emotion, it is believe to be the first that combines chair design with neuroscience.

"And the constant, if minute, movements improve disc nutrition and build up the strength and coordination of the spinal muscles," Kunzler was quoted as saying by the paper.

"We gave the chair to a very stressed finance worker and he immediately started moving in a skiing motion, looking like a schoolboy," Kunzler added.

The chair costs USD 8,450 but Kunzler's Swiss company Inno-Motion has been inundated with orders.

Although office workers make up 60 per cent of their clientele, its also proving popular with artists, dentists and doctors.

 

[singveld]

 

[singveld]

 

[singveld]

The office chair that can make you happier (as long as you don't think about how much it costs)

A doctor has invented the ultimate office chair - which is not only good for your posture but is also thought to make you happier.

The bizarre-looking creation, by Dr Patrik Kunzler and designer Ben Fluri, is a far cry from the standard design currently used by workers the world over.

It doesn’t have a back or arm rests and the seat is made from two carbon shells, used in Formula One car production, which move with the user.

The design, developed at top American university MIT, focuses on movements of the body and helps with posture as well as relaxation.

And the user is supposed to feel a sense of weightlessness - which can have a positive affect on performance, creativity and also mood.

The chair, called the LimbIC, costs an eye-watering £5,400 ($8450) but Dr Kunzler’s Swiss company Inno-Motion has been inundated with orders.


Although office workers make up 60 per cent of their clientele, it’s also proving popular with artists, dentists and doctors.

Dr Kunzler came up with the idea after research showed sitting for long periods of time was having a negative affect on both physical and mental health.

In Switzerland alone, these problems are having a huge financial impact, costing billions.

And it is hoped the new chair will go some way to easing the problem.

Named after the human limbic system, the part of the brain that stimulates emotion, it is believe to be the first that combines chair design with neuroscience.

'And the constant, if minute, movements improve disc nutrition and build up the strength and coordination of the spinal muscles.

'The constant, subconscious delicate balancing strengthens muscles and relieves intervertebral discs.

'It increases the sense of touch and movement and trains your sense of balance.'

'60 per cent of our customers are office workers - those who work a normal day and those who work 16 hours a day.
The carbon shells at the heart of the design move with the user, forcing them to constantly adjust their position.

The carbon shells at the heart of the design move with the user, forcing them to constantly adjust their position.

'We also have had interest from artists and craftsmen as well as dentists, doctors and physical therapists.

'It is having a very positive affect. It gives you the sort of feeling you’d have if you jumped up and down.

'We gave the chair to a very stressed finance worker and he immediately started moving in a skiing motion, looking like a schoolboy.'

 

[enterprise2]

I did not know that Xtra design is the authorised dealer for Herman Miller chairs??

 

[Jlokta]

I did not know that Xtra design is the authorised dealer for Herman Miller chairs??

HWZ should CSI the owners of XTRa, see if they are related or linked in anyways to the 超级白.

 

[The_Hypocrite]

Bloody hell, buy new chairs for civil serpants choose the highest bids.

Tender contracts for peasants choose the lowest bids!

What the fish!

You are right///

 

[Alamaking]

I think I saw these kind of chair at Temasek Holdings 6th floor office at Atrium, all over their many meeting rooms, at least 12 in a room, lol

 

[Narong Wongwan]

Wah design more avant garde than Phillipe Starck

 

[Alamaking]

that a bargain

look at this

Now, an office chair that corrects posture and makes you happy

Need a back support lah.....

 

[Loofydralb]

When it looks like a rat, smells like a rat, sounds like a rat, moves like a rat, feels like a rat.

IT IS A RAT!!!

 

[nycheong]

When questions are raised, we investigate promptly.

Same story again. The products is of value for money when compared with amount of levy $500M to $700M collected monthly from the employers of 200K FDW and 1.2M FW. This revenue collected exclude the amount of fine on infringements etc. In fact MOM can purchase 1.4M chair/month. or 16.8M chairs per year.

 

[Seamaster]

I used to wonder how these upmarket designer chairs managed to pay the rent for big showrooms in prime office/shop space. I hardly saw any customer in the showrooms.

Thank you for letting the cat out of the bag.

 

[eatshitndie]

herman miller celle chairs are excellently made. and they are fantastic for comfort and posture. i'm sitting on one for over 6 years, and it's still as good as ever, requiring no repairs and replacements. it offers great airflow in the back and bottom, and this allows my back to "breathe" and my arse to fart freely. before that, i had to replace my office chairs every 3 years, as they were cheap, lousy and made in china.

 

[LeMans2011]

herman miller celle chairs are excellently made. and they are fantastic for comfort and posture. i'm sitting on one for over 6 years, and it's still as good as ever, requiring no repairs and replacements. it offers great airflow in the back and bottom, and this allows my back to "breathe" and my arse to fart freely. before that, i had to replace my office chairs every 3 years, as they were cheap, lousy and made in china.

Uncle for once you are farting some sense out of your arse.
My company uses Herman Miller too... it made me so comfortable that my working hours are getting longer!
There is a copycat Herman Miller lookalike for those who cannot afford... i need to ask Facilities for the brand name... we have that as well

 

[halsey02]

When it looks like a rat, smells like a rat, sounds like a rat, moves like a rat, feels like a rat.

IT IS A RAT!!!

Fat WHITE RATS need good chairs for their aching backs to serve you better, after they have SERVED you with fines, that pay for their chairs. The 60% perpetuate the food cycle.:p