By Makutu Manneh & Aji Fatou Ceesay
Mr Modou Jonga, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Brikama Area Council (BAC) has requested for time to furnish the Local Government Commission of Inquiry with 2020 documents on procurement activities conducted by the Council.
He made this request when Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez questioned him about the 2020 GPPA compliance report.
“You have One Hundred and Seventy-three transactions and for all these, you single-sourced One Hundred and Twenty. How fair is that? How transparent is that?”
Witness Jonga replied that GPPA approved all the single sourcing they did.
The lead counsel told him this was the collusion he was talking about between GPPA and procurement organisations because standards were being compromised.
Counsel Gomez further put it to him that BAC has not prepared any procurement plan nor did it conduct a market survey but still scored 86 percent, adding that these two are fundamental in procurement, “if you were not conducting market surveys, how do you justify the prices that you sign up for?”
“I agree market surveys are an important part of procurement and I agree we have not been conducting market surveys,” the witness responded.
Witness Jonga still maintained that the score given to them by GPPA was fair, adding that they were reviewed by the authority and they do not review themselves.
The Counsel told him as the CEO, he knew that procurement plans and market surveys cannot be compromised in procurement and that he led an organization that compromised these fundamentals.
Witness Jonga agreed that these two cannot be compromised in procurement, adding “it was not deliberate.” He also maintained that the scores given to them by GPPA were fair.
He was asked to provide the commission with delivery receipts, purchase order, and minutes of the contract committee on the following procurements; Excavation and clearing of drains amounting to Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dalasi which was awarded to Lang Karamo Sawaneh using procurement method Request for Quotation.
The witness was told that the compliance report of GPPA said this was part of the procurement plan, but he (Jonga) told the commission that this was not true because there was no procurement plan for 2020.
The compliance report further said there were no minutes of the contracts committee meeting, but Jonga said there should be because the quotation was approved by the contracts committee.
The commission further revealed that there was a procurement of rain suits, boots, and plastic gloves amounting to One Hundred and Sixty-Seven Thousand and Five Hundred Dalasi, and the contract was awarded to friendship enterprise using Request for Quotation. There was no delivery receipt or purchase order.
Sittings continue.
