Kofi Osei Ameyaw
In the heat of the conflict of interest allegation against the Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Kofi Osei Ameyaw, it has emerged that it is not strange for the Authority to offer contracts in lots to a single company.
The NLA boss had been chided in the past week for awarding ‘11 contracts’ to his sister-in-law’s company – Rams Kitchen – to supply end-of-year packages for workers, although it was a single contract broken down into 11 lots.
A document available to DAILY GUIDE shows a similar contract, which was offered to Alfurqan Ventures in November, 2016 to supply the NLA with some general goods when Mr Osei-Ameyaw was nowhere near the NLA.
Although it was a single contract, the four-page document indicates that the company was to supply the items in nine lots, totaling GH?362,332.99, similar to the Rams Kitchen’s contract.
The nine-lot contract was granted and signed on November 21, 2016, approved by the previous (NLA) administration headed by Brigadier General Martin Ahiaglo.
Among the items supplied were 650 bags of 5kg Golden Rose perfumed rice, 150 cartons of Unoli Vegetable Oil, 290 cartons of Gino Mackerel, 480 cartons of plastic mineral beverages, 150 cartons of cornered beef, 380 packs of Beta Malt, among others.
Information available to this paper indicates that at the time of awarding the contract to Alfurqan Ventures, other companies had bid for it (contract), but quoted a higher price than the company which eventually won the contract.
“It is not the first time a contract had been awarded in that manner at the NLA,” a source told DAILY GUIDE.
Checks by this paper indicate that four companies were invited to tender their bids but one pulled out.
Three companies therefore tendered theirs, with Rams Kitchen quoting the least figure, and was subsequently awarded the contract.
Fair Contract
Alexander Afenyo Markin, Member of Parliament (MP) for Efutu in the Central Region, has corroborated the position of the NLA, claiming there was no conflict of interest in the award of the contract, as it was given on merit.
Speaking on Joy Fm’s news analysis programme – ‘Newsfile’ – the MP pointed out that his checks at the Registrar General’s Department indicated that “Rams Kitchen quoted GH?583,000 against GH?613,000 by GNL Ventures and GH?619,000 by Target Enterprise.
“Obviously, if you are doing an evaluation and you want to look for value for money and the least price, Rams Kitchen got this on merit and that is not any financial loss to the state, it rather saved NLA [money],” Mr Markin stressed.
DAILY GUIDE has learnt that Rams Kitchen has been a registered supplier with NLA since 2013 – even before Mr Osei-Ameyaw was appointed the boss of the NLA.
By Gibril Abdul Razak