A man who claimed to work for one of the companies that budded for the auditing of the oil and gas industry but eventually lost to Sada and Co, Chartered Accountants, who simply identified himself as Oladimeji, has risen in defence of the bid winner, saying that the move to unveil the shady deals of the company are in bad taste.
Oladimeji said that the bid for the contract, worth N226.6 million, was transparent, insinuating that one of the companies that lost out in the bid process must be behind the stories about Sada and Co, Chartered Accountants.
In an elaborate response to the story carried by The Eagle Online on Monday that Sada and Co. does not have an office in the two addresses given on the company’s website and on the Google page, Oladimeji said: “On the 30th June, 2010 NEITI advertised in the National Dailies, requesting for expression of interest for the financial, physical and process audit of Nigerian Oil, Gas and Solid Minerals sector. About 50 Audit firms responded.
“After evaluation of the pre-qualification documents, NEITI invited Nine firms each for the audit of oil and gas and solid minerals. A request for proposal (RFP) was sent to them on the 22nd July 2011. Bid opening was done on the 16th day of September 2011. Evaluation of technical and financial proposal was done by a seven -man committee under a rigorous, quality and cost-based procurement selection method, which led to the emergence of these two firms as preferred bidders. Due diligent was done on them and Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) issued no objection certificate thereby leading to Federal Executive Council approval.
“I work for one of the firms in Lagos that was pre-qualified, and I followed up the process with NEITI. Therefore those of us who lost out should accept defeat in good faith and allow the winners to do their work for the benefit of our dear country.”
The Director of Communications of NEITI, Ogbonnaya Orji, also defended the bid process over the weekend.
Orji described Sada and Co. Chartered Accountants and Haruna Yahaya and Co, Chartered Accountants that won the bid to audit the solid minerals sector as “reputable indigenous and independent auditing firms.”
He said that all procedures for the award of such contracts were duly followed.