The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has defended the government’s handling of contracts under the controversial “Big Push” infrastructure initiative, insisting that due procurement processes were adhered to.
Speaking in Parliament on March 24, the Minister stressed the need to accelerate ongoing infrastructure works, explaining that some previously procured projects required extensions to ensure timely completion.
“There is a need to extend the implementation of works that were previously competitively procured to speed up completion. Though of the 23 projects I talked about that we innovated, none of them was competitively procured. They were also sourced through contracts, which were innovated for 14.8 billion Ghana cedis,” he stated.
Mr Agbodza further clarified that the scale and urgency of the projects necessitated the use of different procurement methods, all within the confines of the law.
“Mr Speaker, given the scale, agency, and national importance of these projects, a mix of procurement methods were employed in accordance with the law,” he said.
Addressing concerns over sole-sourcing, the minister pushed back against claims circulating in sections of the media, noting that such assertions were misleading.
“Mr Speaker, it is important to note that only 44 percent of all the major contracts included in the Big Push contract were awarded by the ministry and sole source. 44 percent. So not what has been published by a certain online portal,” he emphasised.
He added that the ministry had, in fact, undertaken a significant number of projects through competitive means.
“We have also awarded over 400 different contracts through open competitive bidding, over 400, which is unprecedented because the record shows that from 2017 to 2024, almost all projects that the ministry carried out… for any right-thinking member of society to conclude that the Ministry of Roads and Highways only procures work through sole source,” he said.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com