Nigerian leaders oppose unfair treatment to Nigerian company, partners by Liberia – Global News Network

The Secretary, Nigeria Peace and Security Forum, Mr. Salauddin Hashim, and the National Coordinator, Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy, Mr. Taiwo Otitole, have condemned the unfair treatment of Nigeria by Liberia.

In separate interviews, on Thursday, he said it was wrong, messy and unacceptable for a Nigerian company, INIT and its affiliates, EKEMP, a Chinese firm, and Palm Insurance, a Liberian company, to have successfully secured the right of supply and distribution. Won. Biometric equipment, software and materials will be mishandled for the 2023 voter registration exercise for Liberia in an international bidding process.

Liberia’s National Election Commission (NEC) made an acceptable presentation after INITS and its partners, EKEMP and Palm Insurance, beat other bidders for the project, giving them the rights.

This resulted in the electoral body submitting a request for “no-objection” on 30 August to the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC), the legal authority to empower the company and its affiliates to begin procuring biometric devices for the 2023 general elections. demanded.

However, in a shocking move, Liberia’s PPCC rejected the award and called for a fresh submission by all bidders, including some who could not successfully complete their performance before the evaluation committee.

But in a response letter to the PPCC on September 13, the NEC President, Devieta Brown Lansanah; Emphasizing that all the procedures mentioned in the bidding document were followed and executed accordingly and the procurement panel conducted an impartial evaluation of all the bidders and selected INIT/EKEMP and its partners as the most responsive bidder.

Hashim protested unfair treatment of the Nigerian company and its partners.

He said, ‘This is absolutely wrong. This is completely unacceptable and certainly, it does not reflect the friendship that Nigeria has always extended to Liberia as a fellow ECOWAS member. For a company that has actually submitted, successfully went through an international bidding process and turned out to be the favourite, the PPCC’s directive for representation seeks to endanger INIT and its partners and give those other participants an unfair advantage. Admittedly those that didn’t fare well in the original presentation. He called on the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in particular the Nigerian Ambassador to Liberia to get to the root of the matter and intervene quickly.

What is the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) really meant to achieve? The African Continental Trade Agreement was brought to the table for the agreement to be able to provide for the absence of barriers and discrimination around services between the signatories. If this is happening, I think it is important that the AfCFTA Secretariat be notified, and also contact the African Union and let them know that this is indeed what is happening. Almost every country on the continent has signed up to that agreement. So if that’s the case, how much of this kind of selectively discriminatory approach do we have for the award of a contract?

“I find it very messy. Nigeria has played a very important role in Liberia and how have they even gone so far.

Otitole said, “If there is a procurement act or law in Liberia that stipulates the process and procedure, any company that carries out such a process and undergoes a bidding process and is committed to openness and transparency in procurement.” comes on top. Process, the company winning the bid should be retained.

“As a West African country, if a Nigerian company and its affiliates stand out as the most responsive in the bidding process as clearly stated by the evaluation committee of the NEC, why should they be denied this excuse? It is clear that there is a possible conspiracy theory to usurp the Nigeria company/his and partner in favor of another company which is not as good”

NEC President, Devieta Brown Lansana stressed that the Nigerian company and its affiliates are the most responsive bidders.

Lansana said: “As PPCC is aware, the term ‘Most Responsible Bidder’ on the basis of which the contract will be awarded to the concerned bidder, means the bidder with the best value for money considering technical specifications, delivery etc. , which are the criteria for awarding the contract.

“With this in view, the Procurement Committee reviewed the Panel’s report, which includes the cards printed on the spot by the three bidders during their representations before the Panel. The Committee reviewed the submissions of each of the bidders, and found that the panel’s The report had factual support and met the legal requirements. “The Procurement Committee endorsed the panel’s report and submitted it to PPCC on 30 August 2022 for award of contract to the joint venture of EKEPM, PALM and INITS’. ‘No Objection’ was requested.

The NEC boss explained that the vendors’ presentation was made physically before its bid evaluation panel, but no video was taken and the panel did not request any power-point presentations.

According to Lansana, the standard bidding document of the NEC did not require a bidder to perform video-recorded performance before the purchase evaluation panel and therefore there is no known basis for denying “no objection”.

The Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC), objecting to NEC’s request and denying the purchase rights granted to INITS and its partners, EKEMP and Spring Insurance, on the following indications, encouraged NEC to claim that EKEMP and its joint venture partners met. Its all bidding requirements.

PPCC Executive Director, A.T. Jrgbe Rozline Ngbe Kowo, in a letter to the NEC on 9 September, claimed that from the PPCC’s review of the NEC’s request, it was observed that no electoral body’s bid evaluation panel had seen a thorough bid performance exercise, as no There is evidence showing a full report of the performance process. However, the evaluation committee verifies their personal presence and personally signs the committee’s report sent to NEC Procurement, except suddenly in which case there has never been a need for video recording process from PPCC.

According to him, as per the submission of NEC to PPCC, a determining factor under the bidding process was the performance of the biometric process including enrollment and de-duplication processes.

“The usability and functionality of the biometric equipment and software were key factors for evaluating the NEC, and also determined the factors on which some bidders were turned down. [NEC] Biometric assessment panel report. ,

Hashim warned that deliberate discrimination against Nigerian companies wishing to do lawful business in Liberia could compromise existing cordial diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries. He recalled that Nigeria has in the past paid significant costs, both in human lives and resources, to secure the peace that most other countries have left Liberia today.

Source: Nigerian Post

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