The Universal Services and Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa) has criticised the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) “unfortunate and sensational” claims over the validity of the set-top boxes (STB) tender process.

The DA on Tuesday said it was seeking legal advice after questioning the validity of the now-closed tender for the R4.3-billion contract to supply the government-subsidised STBs needed for South Africa’s long overdue digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration.

Usaasa, which issued the tender in November, hit back in a statement late on Tuesday, saying that its process was above board and the agency was transparent, despite shadow Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services Marian Shinn’s concerns that the process was rushed – threatening proper processes and evaluation – to meet the looming June deadline for the switchover from analogue to digital broadcasting.

Usaasa affirmed that, following a September presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and Postal Services on the state of readiness for implementation of the digital migration project, the agency had resolved to source the services of a four-tier consulting company to evaluate the tender.

Further, in the “interest of time” and to eliminate time-consuming administrative processes, Usaasa called for the quotations for both encryption and non-encryption systems pending the finalisation of the Broadcast Digital Migration policy directive.

“Usaasa was mindful of the fact that a policy decision had not been concluded, but was concerned about its ability to meet the deadline of June 17, 2015, as set by the International Telecommunications Union,” the agency said in a statement.

Usaasa also dismissed Shinn’s claims of a “low-key” tender process, which, she claimed, could see many of the companies that would have submitted bids sidelined.

The tender was advertised in national newspapers, such as the Sunday Times, as well as placed on the websites of Usaasa and the Government Gazette, it said, noting that an extension was also granted from a bid closing date of December 19 to January 6.