Investigate Buffer Stock Company’s Sole-Soured Contract – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has called on President Akufo-Addo to investigate an alleged breach of the public procurement laws by the National Food Buffer Stock Company.

According to the minority, the Buffer Stock Company has been engaging in certain procurement procedures which are fundamentally alien to the Public Procurement Amendment Act 2016, (Act 914).

Speaking to Citi News, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, said no competitive bidding was done for some companies contracted by the Buffer Stock Company.

He has since demanded an immediate reversal of government’s contract with the Buffer Stock Company for the supply of foods to Senior High Schools.

“[The government must] investigate the process that is being used currently, which we feel is not proper, it’s not transparent enough. After they do that, they should come up with better modalities for the supply of food items to various secondary schools so that students will be fed well. The whole system should be decentralized,” he said.

He noted that “before the coming of the Free SHS, Senior High Schools were given the opportunity to have their own tender entities, they will advertise that they want food items, so they have suppliers who supply them and they are paid.”

Peter Nortsu-Kotoe said the minority is considering summoning the Education Minister and the Minister for Food and Agriculture before Parliament to answer questions related to the development.

“We have ministers responsible for buffer stock and SHS, we’ll call them to parliament under urgent question to come and answer questions over the issue and what they are doing to remedy the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, in November 2017, the NFBSC abrogated over 50 contracts with various suppliers contracted to provide food to various Senior High Schools across the country under the Free SHS policy.

It said the move was due to non-performance of the suppliers.

The government engaged the Buffer Stock Company to buy food produced locally for supply to the various senior high schools in the country.

The directive was also to create a ready market for local farmers.

Source: Citifmonline