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The Independent Procurement Review Panel (IPRP) has reportedly launched an investigation into alleged procurement irregularities involving the Free Education Project Secretariat (FEPS).
The inquiry, initiated on March 3, 2026, follows a complaint by Rolaan Enterprises Printing Press regarding the handling of the procurement process for the contract titled “Design, Layout, Editorial Work, and Distribution of Technical and Learning Materials for Primary II,” Procurement Number: SL-MBSSE-483324-GO-RFB.
Rolaan Enterprises, the complainant, has raised concerns over breaches in both the technical and financial evaluation stages of the bidding process.
The company argues that the procurement procedures at FEPS were flawed, leading to an unfair disqualification. The investigation was prompted by an appeal from the printing press, alleging irregularities in the evaluation process.
The IPRP, which was established under Section 20(1) of the Public Procurement Act No. 10 of 2016, is tasked with reviewing complaints and appeals from bidders dissatisfied with decisions made by procuring entities during public procurement processes.
The procurement system in Sierra Leone is governed by the Public Procurement Act No. 10 of 2016 and the Public Procurement Regulations, Statutory Instrument No. 15 of 2020.
This is not the first time the Free Education Project Secretariat has faced scrutiny regarding this particular procurement. Previously, Rolaan Enterprises had appealed a decision by FEPS’s Procurement Committee, which had disqualified the company from the bidding process.
The original advertisement for the contract was published on June 14, 2025, and the contract sought competitive bids for the production and distribution of Primary II learning materials as part of the World Bank-funded Free Quality Education initiative.
The evaluation process began on July 28, 2025, when bids were publicly opened and recorded in the presence of bidder representatives. A total of seven bids were received, but only three advanced to the technical evaluation stage. Rolaan Enterprises was disqualified due to issues surrounding the verification of its ISO certificate and the absence of an established website.
The Evaluation Committee argued that it could not verify the ISO certificate and that the lack of a valid website address was grounds for disqualification. However, Rolaan Enterprises contested this decision, filing an appeal on September 1, 2025, under Section 65 of the Public Procurement Act.
The company claimed that the disqualification was unfair, as the ISO certificate it submitted-Certificate Number QA-55185/0725, issued on July 24, 2025-did contain a website address that could be used for verification.
During the hearing, the procuring entity admitted that it had only scanned the QR code on the certificate, which did not provide useful information. The committee acknowledged that it had not explored the website address printed on the certificate itself, nor did it exhaustively search for verification across other available platforms.
Additionally, the procuring entity admitted that it did not reach out to Rolaan Enterprises for clarification, even though Section 53(5) of the Public Procurement Act allows a procuring entity to request further clarification from a bidder.
The procuring entity argued that it was following World Bank Procurement Guidelines, which it claimed took precedence over Sierra Leone’s national procurement laws in cases of procedural conflict.
However, the IPRP rejected this argument, clarifying that national procurement laws must take precedence over external guidelines. The Panel directed that the disqualification of Rolaan Enterprises be reversed and that the bid be re-evaluated, particularly focusing on the verification of the ISO certificate.
The Panel also stressed the need for the re-evaluation process to be transparent and instructed that it be monitored by an observer from either the National Public Procurement Authority or the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The ongoing investigation now expands to include concerns raised by Rolaan Enterprises regarding the technical and financial evaluation phases of the procurement process.
Procurement experts have noted that the case highlights the importance of strict adherence to statutory provisions, especially in donor-funded projects where multiple regulatory frameworks may intersect.
As the investigation continues, stakeholders in the education sector and public procurement community are eagerly awaiting the final determination from the IPRP.
The outcome of the investigation could have significant implications for procurement governance in the Free Education initiative and other publicly funded projects in Sierra Leone.
