TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL –Sierra Leone

20, Dundas Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa P.O Box 1312

Press Release

Monitoring Findings of the Sierra Leone Coalition for Budget and Procurement Transparency in the Education Sector

“The Sierra Leone Coalition for Budget and Procurement Transparency in the Education Sector” supported by Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) through its monitoring exercises had so far made the following findings.

1. There are established procurement committees with the required membership in all the entities monitored

2. Most of the procurement units monitored were able to produce documentary evidence of procurement committee meetings, bid documents, etc.

3. All the bid openings were done in public

4. Most of the procurement committees work independently without administrative or  political influence

5. Lack of adequate equipment like computers, printers in all the Procurement Units monitored. This will affect there efficiency of the unit and proper storage of records

6. In some entities, there is semblance of administrative/ political interference in public procurement processes. This will undermine the independence of the Unit

7. In all the entities monitored, there is inadequate number of procurement professionals to effectively handle procurement processes especially in big councils like the Freetown City Council. This is one of the factors responsible for flouting procurement regulations.

8. There is in most cases the absence of technical experts in the preparation of bids and the award of contracts. This can lead to the quotation of wrong specifications of goods, works and services required.

9. In most of the councils monitored, there is no documentary evidence of the 5% retention fee for every contract awarded especially works. This makes it  difficult to track contractors who abandon their contracts before completion

10.        There is insufficient teaching and learning materials like text books in most of the schools monitored

11.        There is delay, and sometimes non-payment of the 5% retention fees

12.        In most of the entities monitored contract details including BOQs are not publicly displayed. This makes monitoring of contract performance very difficult