Over Failure to Provide Bid Documents… NPPA Warns Procuring Entities

By Francis Kamara

The National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA), the body mandated to regulates public procurement activities in Sierra Leone has tendered a public notice stating severe warnings on procurement practitioners and institutions over failure to make bid documents available to bidders.

In a public notice signed by Ibrahim Brima Swarray (MCIPS) the Chief Executive Officer of NPPA stated that procuring entities have developed the habit of not making bid documents available to bidders after paying the required fees in the designated account at the Bank of Sierra Leone.

As the regulatory Authority on public procurement, the Authority went on to inform all procuring entities or institutions that such act is not only unacceptable but a violation of the relevant legal framework on public procurement in Sierra Leone. Section 49 (2) of the Public Procurement Act 2016, which provides thus: “A procuring entity shall provide, in an expeditious and non- discriminatory manner, the bidding documents to all potential bidders that respond to the invitation to bid or, in the case of prequalification, to all bidders that have been prequalified…”.

The regulatory body (NPPA) added that in view of the above, such an act is illegal and breaches the relevant legal framework. The Authority has therefore directed all procuring entities or institutions to desist forthwith and also demanded that they make available to all bidders, bid documents after making the required payment at the Bank of Sierra Leone.

The public notice by the NPPA concluded that failure of any procuring entity or institution to heed to the directives or instructions of the NPPA will leave the Authority with no alternative but to evoke the relevant punitive measures provided for in Section 14 (6) of the Public Procurement Act 2016, and the relevant provisions in the Public Procurement Regulations 2020, without further recourse.

They urged all procuring entities or institutions, as well as procurement practitioners to be corporative, as their collaboration is highly needed.

See Public Notice