The SATZ Group of Companies has formally submitted a complaint to the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), highlighting significant irregularities in the bidding process for the Cybersecurity Framework Development, Awareness, and Orientation project (IFB No. LTA/REOI/002/2024).
In its letter, SATZ Group calls on the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), the Center for Transparency and Accountability (CENTAL), and the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) to conduct a thorough investigation into the bidding and contract award process, advocating for measures that ensure accountability and adherence to the Public Procurement and Concessions Act of 2010.
The company expressed serious concerns regarding the fairness and transparency of the recent evaluation process. Despite meeting all the requirements outlined in the Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) and Request for Proposal (RFP), SATZ Group was unexpectedly eliminated from the bidding due to alleged technical non-compliance in LTA’s earlier response.
“We believe the decision to eliminate SATZ Group was made under questionable circumstances,” the letter states. “Numerous inconsistencies in the evaluation and qualification stages raise serious concerns about the integrity of the procurement process.”
The complaint details several irregularities, including unfair evaluations, proposal rejections, misrepresentation of CV submissions, a lack of notification regarding deficiencies, and an overall lack of transparency.
Aloysius S. Zayzay, Founder and CEO of SATZ Group, emphasized the need for fair procurement practices. “We are committed to ensuring that public procurement processes in Liberia uphold the highest standards of fairness, transparency, and legal compliance,” he stated.
In a debriefing with the LTA Acting Chairperson and Procurement Team members on October 22, 2024, SATZ Group requested the name of the winning company, but this information was denied, raising further questions about the transparency of the process.
“We urge all the entities mentioned to provide feedback regarding our request for additional information submitted over a week ago,” the statement observed.