By Olukayode Idowu
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has expressed concerns over potential irregularities in the procurement process for selecting a Transaction Adviser to revitalize the Ajaokuta Steel Complex Limited (ASCL) and the National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) in Itakpe.
CISLAC’s Executive Director, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), in a signed statement, said in two separate letters addressed to the Minister of Steel Development and the Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, urged the government to ensure transparency and adherence to legal standards in the ongoing procurement process.
According to CISLAC, the strategic economic significance of ASCL and NIOMCO necessitates a rigorous and transparent process in selecting a qualified adviser.
The organisation emphasized that the process should uphold public trust by strictly adhering to due process to ensure the selection of the most competent adviser.
However, CISLAC pointed out that the Request for Proposal (RFP) failed to specify the weight assigned to quality and cost factors, as required by Section 51(1) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, thus undermining fairness in the selection process.
CISLAC also noted that the technical scores of bidders were not disclosed before opening financial proposals, which violates Section 51(4) of the Act.
The absence of explicit evaluation criteria in the RFP also contravenes Section 46 (1)(e), potentially allowing arbitrary scoring.
CISLAC also highlighted that Sections 23-24 of the Act mandate the transparent publication of bid opportunities and contracts awarded, a standard that has not been met in this case.