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The Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) has flagged significant irregularities in the procurement process for the supply of 51 note-counting machines valued at NLe 1,348,950 (equivalent to Le 1,348,950,000 in old Leones) by the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB).
The findings, detailed in the latest Audit Report, highlight discrepancies in dates, potential conflicts of interest, and a lack of compliance with the Public Procurement Act, 2016.
Key concerns raised include the absence of minutes from the procurement committee meeting where the bidding document was approved. Additionally, the report revealed contradictions in the bidding timeline, with discrepancies between the date recorded in the bid register and the evaluation report. While the bidding document was reportedly issued on May 8, 2023, the bid register showed a record date of April 8, 2023.
Further scrutiny uncovered inconsistencies in the submission date. The evaluation report noted that the bid was submitted on May 10, 2023, at 12:00 PM GMT, but the bid submission register signed by the bidder recorded April 10, 2023, at 2:21 PM GMT.
The report also revealed that individual evaluation sheets completed by evaluation committee members were missing, and the evaluation report itself lacked member signatures and dates.
ASSL criticized the bank’s procurement process for soliciting bids from a single bidder, despite the restricted bidding method requiring a minimum of five bidders under Section 12(2) of the Public Procurement Act, 2016. Additionally, members of the procurement and evaluation committees failed to complete the required conflict-of-interest declarations.
The report also highlighted the unusually short bidding period, which spanned only two days, from May 8 to May 10, 2023, without any justification for this deviation from the stipulated guidelines.
These findings raise serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and adherence to procurement regulations at the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank.
