Indications are that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) may have stalled the disbursement of the statutory 15% mobilisation fee for the supply of 100 channel navigational buoys to the agency by Messrs Marina Gold Fountain Resources Limited (now known as Marina Energy Limited).
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdullahi explained that although he had approved payment for the 15% mobilisation fee for Marina Energy Limited but received directives from higher quarters to stay action.
“We are in receipt of a letter which directed us to stay action. We were ready to make payments, in fact I already approved payment; but we received directive that we should stay action. That is why we have not released the 15% mobilisation fee for the supply of 100 channel navigational buoys to Marina Energy Limited,” he stated.
Also speaking, Managing Director of Marina Energy Limited, Otunba Oladipo Akinjole, had revealed that the NPA had only paid 10% of the 15% mobilisation fee out of the total sum approved by the Federal Government for the contract.
Lamenting that all efforts to make NPA pay the remaining 5% to make up for the 15% statutory mobilization fee have been ignored by the agency, Akinjole said: “We have written the NPA severally, appealing for the release of the money to enable us carry out the contract, but they have rebuffed all our pleas.”
It would be recalled that the NPA had advertised the award of the contract in August 2010 via a Public Notice No 3748, to which 25 companies made tenders for the job. These companies were later pruned down to eight and pre-qualified for final selection.
The eight companies shortlisted for technical bidding, and their respective scores in descending order, included: Messrs Morpol Engineering Services Limited, 92 per cent; Messrs Marina Gold Fountain Resources Limited (now known as Marina Energy Limited), 85 per cent; Messrs Giogio Dredging Company Limited, 84 per cent; Messrs Bonny Channel Company Limited (an enterprise in which the NPA has substantial shares), 82 per cent; and Messrs Anatrade Limited, 78 per cent.
Others were: Messrs Hadabs Ventures Limited, 76 per cent; Messrs Pharos Nigeria Limited, 76 per cent; and Messrs Abhal Ventures Limited, 75 per cent.
Six of these companies went for the financial bids with the following results: Anatrade Limited, $5,982,16,.00; Abhal Ventures Limited, $5,781,615.00; Hadabs Ventures Limited, $5,860,995.00; Marina Gold Fountain Resources(now known as Marina Energy Limited), $3,574,216.80; Giogio Dredging Limited, $6,526,815.00; and Pharos Nigeria Limited, $5,250,000.00.
NPA, in a letter of award with reference number HQ/GM(M)/OP/203, gave the contract to Abhal Ventures Limited.
Notably, Abhal Ventures Limited had scored last in the technical bidding process with 75 per cent and had quoted the third highest bidding price of the sextet at $5,781,615.00.
The ranking of four companies in the order of Financial Responsive Bids was follows: Marina Gold Fountain Resources (now known as Marina Energy Limited), the first with $3,574,216.80; Pharos Marine Limited, second with $5,250,000.00; Abhal Ventures Limited, third with $5,781,615.00; and Messrs Hadabs Ventures Limited, fourth with $5,860,905.00.
Earlier in 2013, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the sum of $3.5 for the construction, delivery and inauguration of 100 channel-marking Buoys for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).