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Reading: Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai reveals that the “Free Quality Education Project” failed to adhere to procurement guidelines.
Reading: Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai reveals that the “Free Quality Education Project” failed to adhere to procurement guidelines.

Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai reveals that the “Free Quality Education Project” failed to adhere to procurement guidelines.

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Sallu Kamuskay
By Sallu Kamuskay 3 Min Read
3 Min Read
Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai
Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai

Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, the Chairman of the Independent Procurement Review Panel (IPRP), has revealed that the “Free Quality Education Project” failed to follow procurement guidelines. In a ruling, Dr. Abdulai stated that the evaluation committee of the procuring entity did not adhere to stringent procurement guidelines and allowed bidding institutions to progress from the technical to financial evaluation stage without proper scrutiny. The panel advised the procuring entity to conduct due diligence during the evaluation process to ensure that only qualified bidders progress to the next stage, thereby avoiding any misperceptions.

The ruling came about after Grace Mack Engineering and Construction Services filed a complaint with the IPRP regarding alleged procurement irregularities in the process. According to the report, the Free Education Secretariat advertised a bid in September 2022, inviting competitive expressions of interest for the construction of classrooms, administrative blocks, and wash facilities in Kono District.

Grace Mack Engineering and Construction Services submitted a bid expressing interest in constructing the required facilities on December 22, 2022. After expressing interest, they were invited to a bid opening by the procurement committee. Bids were opened in the presence of all bidders.

During the bid opening, it was alleged by the complainant that Yorma Engineering and Construction Services did not include a Power of Attorney, which was a conditional requirement. However, Grace Mack Engineering and Construction Services argued that they had complied with this requirement. After the evaluation process, the respondent informed them in a letter dated April 28, 2023, that their entity was unsuccessful.

After a day’s hearing, the IPRP concluded that Grace Mack Engineering and Construction Services did not have a case as they had violated the instructions of the Technical Board and sections 21(1) and 21(5) of the Public Procurement Act of 2016.

The panel found that the Power of Attorney was indeed included in the bid data sheet and that its absence was not a reason for disqualification. It also noted that the appellant had difficulties understanding the technical language used in the bid document, which led to their unintentional non-compliance with simple instructions, such as the requirement for core staff to have a Higher National Diploma instead of an Ordinary National Diploma, as submitted by the appellant.

As a result, the panel ordered that the previous winner be awarded the contract.

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Sallu Kamuskay is a Sierra Leonean communication strategist, fixer, blogger, youth organiser, event manager, spokesperson, and public relations expert. His work has been regularly referenced and published by national and international media and public policy institutions. Sallu Kamuskay was a child during the brutal war in Sierra Leone. Growing up in the midst of conflict, Sallu witnessed unimaginable abuse of children and gross violations of human rights. The horrors he witnessed during the Civil War had a terrible impact on him at a very tender age. But despite the shock of the war, Sallu never lost hope. He started on a journey of recovery, studying, and working for a better future. At age 15, Sallu entered into the world of activism and advocacy. Sallu Kamuskay was the Vice President of the Young Leaders Organisation, a member of the National Youth Council. The Young Leaders is one of the oldest youth-led organisations in West Africa. The organisation was formed by a group of young leaders, and launched by the then Head of State/President of Sierra Leone. Sallu was part of the group of young leaders who participated in and contributed to the establishment of the National Youth Council. The Commonwealth supported the training for trainers programme with line ministries and youth stakeholders in which key, representatives of youth council, student union and civil society/private sector youth platforms were engaged and empowered in the effective engagement and inclusion of youth. Sallu is co-founder and Executive Director of the Salone Messenger, a global multimedia and public relations firm based In Sierra Leone. Sallu has worked on various developmental and policy issues such as Poverty, Climate Change, Human rights, Child Rights, Education, Health, Gender Equality, Civic Engagement, Government policies, Information Communication Technology for Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and has also been contributing to various global events and advocacy campaigns. Sallu Kamuskay is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Salone Messenger, a global Multimedia and Public Relations Firm based in Sierra Leone with the latest news and information, on top stories, business, politics, entertainment, and more. Sallu is working with a leading technology company in Africa, Techfrica, that has recently developed and launched a social media, messaging Supfrica with over 150,000 downloads on the Google play store in less than 4 days. He is the Adviser and Media coordinator for the App to give people the platform to connect and communicate to help shape their future with a very fast internet that allows users that live in deprived and hard-to-reach areas with poor internet facility to be able to communicate as it allows and stronger on 2 and 3 G network reception. Sallu has over 9 years of experience in youth engagement, inclusion, and coordination both at local and global levels, giving voice to young people and engaging young people to build a better world. He has served as coordinator for the Wave Alliance which brought together youth-led organisations who attended an international training in South Africa organized by the International Organization – Waves for Change. Sallu is working with the MLT, Waves For Change, and the Government to develop safe spaces for young people, with a view to contributing to the overall development goals of young people including health, as well as to community rebuilding. Sallu is currently the Programme Director for the Wave Alliance, which is a coalition of youth-led and community-based organisations that have successfully introduced evidence-based Surf Therapy programs to young people in communities, with a focus on mental health, peace building and sustainable development. Sallu is currently the focal point and face of Africa’s Faces Social media platform which is a global Social media platform that brings together people from across the world to share their moments, connect, share videos, and interact with friends giving more preference to excluded continents like Africa. Sallu Kamuskay has devoted his time to working for or contributing to a number of national and international organizations and companies, including the Techfrica Technology Company, United Nations, ECOWAS, European Union, Commonwealth Africa Initiatives. This work has led him to travel to a number of countries to contribute to global youth platforms. Sallu is the lead Coordinator for Peace Tour programme, an initiative supported by the European Union, Africa Union, ECOWAS focusing on uniting and empowering young people and local communities. Over the years, Sallu Kamuskay has been using his Techno phone to be able to tell stories, the phone he used to tell the story of Gbessay during Ebola who was admitted at one of the Ebola treatment centers after rumors that she had Ebola when the actual sickness was ulcer, she was almost abandoned at the treatment canter with no medication provided to her. She could have died. Sallu told the story via social media and was able to secure funding from the United Sierra Leone to buy her medication and advocated for her. She was later discharged and taken home, He did the same to a patient that died and was abandoned in the street, Sallu Kamuskay used his phone and shared the message across, the corps was later taken and buried. It could have been more disaster without his voice. The story of late America Stress 3-year-old daughter. The hero’s daughter was abandon after his father's death. He shared her sad story and was able to get a sister who has taken the child as her own and is currently providing her with educational support. The article of America Stress can be read on the link below http://ayvnewspaper.com/index.php/k2-categories/item/7350-america-stress-a-hero-to-recognize. Sallu Kamuskay feels the stories of Gbessay, America stress and that of many others need to be told. The media house we have cannot better tell these stories, they are better reporters than telling human interest stories. He created the Salone Messenger platform and brought together passionate storytellers to be able to tell these compelling stories.