By: Mama A. Touray
The Deputy Lead Counsel of the LG commission, Patrick Gomez, has argued that BCC never intended to use open tender for the procurement of 358 streetlights.
Gomez argued that the council had in mind a supplier from outside the country, from whom it wanted to outsource the lights.
Earlier on, GPPA’s director of procurement policy and operations told the commission that local councils did not have procurement plans to ensure adequate time for bidding, saying plans should guide the procurement activities of councils.
Ebrima Sanyang added that rush in procurement in the councils was a result of the lack of procurement plans.
On the implications of shortening the bidding period, Sanyangsaid the practice has the potential to pave the way for corruption and other unfair treatment.
But deputy lead counsel Gomez argued that there was no genuine reason for GPPA’s approval of the shortening of the bidding period for BCC’s street light project, to which Sanyangagreed. Sanyang said he did not think it was appropriate to shorten the bidding period.
He informed the commission that GPPA wrote to BCC on 25 July 2022, advising the council to comply with the law, and was quick to say that there was no evidence to indicate BCC’s compliance with the instructions.
Sanyang said the justifications given by councils for shortening the bidding periods were not genuine when quizzed by Chairperson Jainaba Bah as to whether the reasons provided by councils for the shortening of the bidding period were genuine or not.
Sanyang concurred with Counsel Gomez that the more GPPA shortens the bidding period, the more
