Uneasy calm appears to have enveloped the management of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Plateau state over the N118 million contract award for the completion of the hospital’s an amenity ward.
Blueprint learnt that the contract was awarded by the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of JUTH, Dr. Edward Banwat, without the input of the hospital’s management board or their consultation.
It was further learnt that the contract was awarded to the highest bidder; a printing press whose registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission showed its core specialty as printing press and allied matters, contrary to the provisions of the Public Procurement Act.
Dissatisfied with the procedures for the contract award, one of the bidding contractors, Dantonic Investment Limited, petitioned the Bureau for Public Procurement, calling for review of the process.
When contacted, chairman of the hospital’s board, Mr. Barth Nwibe, washed his hands off the matter, directing Blueprint’s inquiries to the CMD, Dr Banwa while alleging that the board was not involved in the contract process.
“I am aware of the complaint from a contractor, which I forwarded to the CMD, but the board was not involved in the award of the contract,” he said.
Reacting, CMD, Edward Banwat, confirmed the board chairman’s assertion, claiming that the Procurement Act does not involve the board in contract awards.
“In the Act, the board is not part of the procurement process,” he said.
Contrary to the CMD’s claim, however, Article 7 of the Act establishing the board of teaching hospitals, section (1) (a), (b) and (c), stipulates that the board is empowered to;
“Equip, maintain and operate the hospital so as to provide facilities for diagnosis, curative, promotion and rehabilitative service in medical treatment… to construct, equip, maintain and operate such clinic, outpatient departments, laboratories, research or experimental stations and other like institutions….”
Findings revealed that the Bureau for Public Procurement had written to one of the contractors assuring that the contract will be suspended pending the review of the process.
A letter dated February 03, 2020 with reference No. BPP/S.1/CCM/20/VoL.1/013, addressed to Dantonic Investment Limited and signed by Olanrewaju Yusuf Olaleye, deputy director complaints, certification and monitoring, said a letter has been forwarded to the JUTH management to suspend further action pending review of the process.
“The Bureau has forwarded your complaint to the hospital directing it to suspend any further action on the procurement, and forward all the relevant procurement document for independent review by it in line with the provisions of section 54(4)(a) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007,” it said.
When contacted, the managing director of the Dantonic Investment Limited, Mr. Onah Christian Onaura, confirmed receipt of the BPP letter and alleged violation of the Procurement Act by the JUTH management.
“I have written to the JUTH management drawing their attention to the violation of the BPP Act, because I posted the lowest amount of N114,095,168.25, but the contract was awarded to Andex Press, which posted the highest amount of N118,789,516.2.
“That was why I wrote a complaint to the BPP, drawing their attention for further action, yet the JUTH management went ahead with the execution of the project,” he alleged.
In reaction to this, the CMD said: “The law says anybody who is not satisfied will be shown the template of the analysis, and a staff from there came and was satisfied with the analysis.
“Any complaint we receive we give it attention because we run a transparent process and you might post the lowest price but after the technical aspect you might not be awarded,” he said.
On the alleged awards of contract to a printing press, he said; “Contractors will always make insinuations, we are not party to that.”
