A Date With EOCO
By courtesy of a failed politician and some deluded staff at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), I have been invited by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to its head office in Accra on Tuesday 14th January, 2020, at 2pm, to help in its investigations into some alleged procurement breaches at UEW.
This investigation, it is suspected, has to do with some renovation works, where the contract values do not exceed GHS 200,000, and were recommended to Entity for award through Price Quotation, which is more competitive and transparent than Sole Sourcing.
In respect of Sole Sourcing, the Entity, for example UEW or Ghana Water Co. Ltd (GWCL), simply hand picks a supplier or contractor, and basically connives with the supplier or contractor to execute a contract at a hugely inflated price. The huge difference is then shared between the corrupt officials of the Entity on one side, and the supplier or contractor on the other side. This is simply termed, “create, loot and share”!
However, with regards to Price Quotation, a minimum of three (3) suppliers or contractors, MUST respond to the invitation to submit quotations before the bids can be evaluated and a proposed contract award made, subject to Entity’s approval if any of the bidders satisfies the requirements as spelt out in the tender documents.
It is clear from the above that, Sole Sourcing is more susceptible to collusion than Price Quotation.
Since Rev. Fr. Prof. Afful-Broni took over the mantle of leadership of UEW, as the Vice-Chancellor (VC), not a single contract has been Sole Sourced.
On the other hand, at Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL), where Afenyo-Markin, who is unqualified to be appointed a Minister, and is also unqualified to be appointed a lecturer in a reputable public university like UEW, is the Board Chairman (a position usually reserved for retirees like Prof. Stephen Adei), Sole Sourcing appears to be the order of day.
In the attached documents, pages one (1) to three (3) depict the prices quoted by Sunbabsco Ltd for the supply of pumps complete with electrical panels, installations and fittings for GWCL pumping stations, on request by an independent person. The total price of Sunbabsco, per the invoice, is GHS 14,206,028.
Pages four (4) to six (6), represent the prices paid by GWCL to its nominated suppliers or contractors (Sole Source).
Just a little comparison to get readers going: While an enquiry at Sunbabsco revealed that, item number two (2) can be supplied and installed at GHS 233,870.00, GWCL still paid a colossal sum of GHS 2,104,948.00 to a Sole Sourced supplier to supply and install the same item that Sunbabsco had quoted GHS 233,870.00! A staggering difference of GHS 1,871,078! This represents the amount created, looted and shared in just the supply and installation of one (1) item out of twenty-three (23). This scenario runs through the entire invoices from item number one (1) through to twenty-three (23).
It is sad that some persons displaying symptoms of moral turpitude, and parading as politicians, and instead of being behind bars for having been involved in all manner of fraudulent acts, are allowed to walk free, albeit walking illegalities, and who will shamelessly call for others to step aside for investigations to be conducted, when in actual fact, they are supposed to do the honourable thing by stepping aside from their positions as Board Chairmen, since they are under investigation for alleged violations of Act 663 as amended, by the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP). What a classic paradox!!
Charity begins at home, so such charlatans must step down first, and then use themselves as examples when calling on others to do same!
From the above, it is crystal clear that, it is rather the Board and management of GWCL that ought to be investigated by EOCO for causing huge financial loss to the State through Sole Sourcing, that is, if EOCO is really interested in protecting the public purse, in line with the vision of His Excellency President Nana Akufo-Addo, instead of wasting scarce State resources on ‘chicken feed’ contracts at UEW!
Alhassan Salifu Bawah
(son of an upright peasant farmer)
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