LFA Violates PPCC Act in awarding US$71,935 Furniture Contract

MONROVIA-It has been by established by Stages Club president  Emmett Glasco that the Liberia Football Association (LFA), has violated the 2010 restated and amended Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) Act of 2005 in awarding a furniture contract valued at  US$71,935 to United Office Supplies.

LFA’s Deputy Secretary-General, John Bonah informed stakeholders of an Executive Committee’s decision on 25 November 2022, which approved the procurement of office furniture valued at US$71,935 for its new headquarters in Congo town, which was dedicated on 28 April by President George Weah.

According to the PPCC’s Regulation #3 issued on 13 October 2010, acting Chairperson, Esther Pagar (Mrs.), the threshold in the case of contracts for the procurement of goods shall be US$10,000 and above done through a Request for Quotations (RFQ).

The amended regulations issued in June 2014 mandate the procuring entity, LFA, to use the standard bidding document for “RFQ” approved by the PPCC and the timeline provided in the standard procurement planning template.

An RFQ, which shall be published as required by the PPCC Act, shall be requested in writing from as many bidders as practicable, but from at least three bidders.

Section 54(3) says bidders shall be given adequate time to prepare and submit their quotations, but each bidder shall be permitted one quotation, which may not be altered or negotiated.

And this was flagged by Chrisco United President Chris Geeplay Weah and Senior Female Professionals President, Emmett Stages Glassco at a news conference on 5 April 2023.

“In keeping with the procurement regulations of Liberia, as stated in the PPCC Act, such a procurement requires a newspaper or website publication of a request for a bid, receipt of bid, RFQ, a bid panel evaluation of the quotations received, and a selection by a bid committee clearly stating the basis for selection.

“So we demand evidence of the newspaper and or website that published the RFQ and the bid evaluation report that gave United Office Supplies, which was mentioned in Bonah’s email, the privilege to supply the furniture.

“We thoroughly searched the LFA Facebook page but didn’t see any advertisement. The LFA’s website has been offline long before that executive committee meeting. So where was the RFQ published? Was the RFQ published on Aljazeera, BBC, CNN, VOA or in the local daily? We want to know”, asked Weah.

For Glassco, he believes that the deal violated the LFA statutes regardless of whether it met the PPCC process.

“We received a document from the LFA that Congress was to be held in March, which was later pushed to April 15, 2023. The congress has now been pushed to 15 May without any tangible reason.

“So this means the LFA is yet to hold an ordinary congress since the April 18, 2022 elections to approve the 2023 budget for its daily operations but the executive committee approved part of the budget to buy furniture.

“This is wrong, because article 43(G) of the statutes, which were amended at the April 2022 elective congress, gives Congress the authority to approve the budget. It was wrong yesterday and it is wrong today,” he said.

Glassco first appeared on The Weekend Sports on Freedom 87.9 FM on 1 April 2023 to raise several integrity issues against the LFA to which President Mustapha Raji argued that the executive committee functions in the absence of Congress.

“Congress is the highest decision-making body of the Liberia Football Association according to our organic law, which is the statutes. In the absence of Congress, the executive committee acts and takes key decisions”, said Raji, who called on the show without greeting Glassco, one of his vindictive trademarks.

But Article 50(1) says the executive committee shall pass decisions on all cases that don’t come within the sphere.

New Republic Liberia

Alphonso Toweh

Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets  including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and  did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters 
 He holds first  MA with honors in International  Relations and a  candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict  Resolution from the University of Liberia.