The DPR Plans to Purchase 100 LED TVs Worth Rp1.5 Billion; What's the Market Price?

The House of Representatives (DPR) plans to purchase 100 units of 43-inch light emitting diodes (LED) televisions for its members' workspaces.

This is recorded in the Government Procurement Policy Agency's (LKPP) Integrated Public Procurement Plan Information System (SIRUP) as of Wednesday (5/10/2022).

According to SIRUP LKPP data, the package, named "Procurement of 43-Inch LED TVs for Members' Workspaces," has criteria of "Domestic Products" and "Small Businesses/Cooperatives".

The total budget is Rp1,554,000,000 for 100 units, using the 2022 State Budget (APBN).

This raises questions, as the average price per unit of the LED TVs the DPR intends to buy reaches Rp15.54 million. Many similar TVs are available on the market at significantly lower prices.

For comparison, here are the highest price points of several brands and types of 43-inch LED TVs sold by official stores on Tokopedia:

* Samsung LED TV 43 Inch Smart UHD 4K The Seriff: Rp14.49 million
* Samsung LED TV 43 Inch Smart UHD 4K The Sero: Rp12.62 million
* Samsung LED TV 43 Inch Smart 43Q60A: Rp9.07 million
* LG LED TV 43 Inch Thinq Nanocell: Rp7.99 million
* Sony Bravia LED TV 43 Inch 4K UHD: Rp6.59 million
* LG LED TV 43 Inch 43UQ7500: Rp4.39 million
* Xiaomi LED TV 43 Inch New Smart 9.0: Rp3.86 million
* Polytron LED TV 43 Inch 43BAG9953: Rp3.81 million
* Realme LED TV 43 Inch Bezelless: Rp3.17 million
* Changhong LED TV 43 Inch Newest Android 11: Rp2.94 million

Besides those listed above, many other 43-inch LED TVs from various brands and types are available in the Rp2 million to Rp5 million range. These cheaper TVs are certainly a viable option for the DPR, considering the seemingly non-essential function of televisions for the work of elected representatives.

This is not the first time the DPR has planned the procurement of non-essential goods with a fantastic budget. In March 2022, the DPR held a tender for a project to replace curtains for the DPR RI official housing in Kalibata, Jakarta, with a budget of Rp48.7 billion.

However, the billion-rupiah curtain replacement project was eventually cancelled after receiving significant public criticism.