By: Mama A. Touray
Janjanbureh Area Council has conducted D2,869,702.54 worth of procurement in 2020 using single-sourcing, the Local Government Commission was told this week.
The commission was on Monday informed by the Director of Procurement Policy and Operations at GPPA, Ebrima Sanyang, that: “In 2020, the total procurement was 450 transactions out of which 448 transactions were conducted using single sourcing, representing 99.6% of the total procurements and only two transactions conducted through Request for Quotation.”
According to Sanyang, no procurement was conducted in 2020 through open tender, disclosing that the value of the single-sourced transactions was D2, 869,702.54 while the value for Request for Quotation transactions was D299, 500, representing only 0.4% of the total transactions.
Still testifying, Sanyang told the commission that only Mariama Kandeh and Mamadou Leigh were working at the procurement unit of Janjanbureh Area Council but that GPPA’s findings have shown that the duo was not handling any of the council’s procurement transactions for 2020.
He added that the procurement unit should handle all procurement transactions.
Testifying on the 2021 compliance report of Janjanbureh, Sanyang said: “In 2021, the total procurement transactions for single-sourcing were 343, amounting to One Million Five Hundred and Twenty-Six Thousand Nine Hundred and Thirty-Five Dalasi Six Bututs representing 95.8% of the total transactions. Fifteen transactions were conducted through Request for Quotation, amounting to D2, 467,750.”
He informed the commission that the GPPA review team has observed that the CEO did not fulfill the requirements of the GPPA Act.
“The CEO did not appoint members of the required committees like the inspection, evaluation, receipt, and examinations committees. He did not also ensure procurement plan was sent to the GPPA annually as required by law. In addition, the CEO did not ensure there was proper record keeping,” he testified.
Mr. Sanyang said another finding discovered by the GPPA review team was that councilors were conducting procurement in their wards without presenting procured items, receipts, invoices, among others, in 2020.
The chairperson of the commission Jainaba Bah expressed concern that the GPPA report did not provide details about the activities of the councilors. The commission, however, requested GPPA to provide details of the councilors’ transactions.
Still testifying, Sanyang said that the procurement unit of the council did not also ensure that suppliers sign the purchase order which, he said, is contrary to the provision of the law.
He added that the council did not include the evaluation criteria (Form 101) sent to suppliers in some procurement transactions. Sanyang said specification is essential in contracts.
Janjanbureh Area Council, he continued, also awarded contracts to suppliers that did not register with GPPA. Registration with GPPA, he told the commission, is a condition for receiving contracts from area councils but added that the area council (Janjanbureh) failed to look into that.