MOH justifies …cancellation of Anti-shake Venom procurement

The Ministry of Health has explained that the reason behind the cancellation of procurement process for the supply of Anti-Snake venom was to avoid unfair evaluation and collusion in the tendering process.

The Ministry said following receipt of the Administrative Review Report from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), regarding the supply of the serum they constituted an Independent Technical Team to undertake the re-evaluation of the tenders in line with the decision in the review report from the PPA.

The procurement unit at the Ministry of Health, in a statement signed for the minister by the head of Procurement and Supply, Romeo Tetteh-Kofi, said “Subsequent to the detailed re-evaluation of the tenders by the able independent evaluation team, who undertook the evaluation in line with the requirements of the tender documents, as well as issues raised in the Administrative review report by the Public Procurement Authority, the Ministry has taken the decision to cancel the above tender because the tender prices quoted by the tenderers exceed the budget for the said activity”.

Additionally, MoH wishes to address the key issues raised in the Administrative review report by the PPA. Thus, the Ministry of Health has written to the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to request for detailed product specification and parameters as well as other relevant information for the Anti-Snake Venom.

A copy of the letter to the FDA, dated 29th April, 2019 with reference No. MOH/PU/2019/A.2.01, in possession of the paper, is asking for detailed product specification and parameters, as well as other relevant information about these products to enable the ministry proceed with the procurement activity.

It noted that the initiative was to revert the problem of insufficient product specification and its predisposition to unfair evaluation.

The tender for the Venom will be re-launched and widely advertised in the national Dailies and the Online PPA Publication website as soon as the required information is received from the FDA and captured in the Tender Documents.

The ministry said Tender will be launched for all firms including the past Tenderers to participate.

The statement further assured the general public that, the Ministry of Health is working earnestly to ensure the procurement of highly potent Anti-Snake Serum for the good people of Ghana.