The Executive Chairman of Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board, Prof. Femi Akinwumi has flagged off the opening of bids for the 2024 UBEC/SUBEB intervention projects in the State with a call on contractors that will emerge in the process to implement the projects according to the UBEC approved specifications.
Prof. Akinwumi, while addressing contractors and stakeholders in Ado Ekiti, assured all companies that took part of equal treatment, adding that any contractor who wins the bid and fails to work in line with the job specification would not only be backlisted but will be made to refund the funds collected.
He stressed that the board would ensure strict compliance with the UBEC guidelines and the State Procurement Act in the award of the contracts and monitoring of the projects noting that the 12-week time frame on the completion of the projects would be strictly enforced while the Board would not entertain request for variation on any of the projects
The SUBEB boss stated that no contractor with history of abandoned project, invalid tax clearance, low financial capability, or doubtful records would be considered for award of contracts by Ekiti SUBEB.
He urged the contractors to abide by the project execution processes and give value for the money they would be paid on the proposed projects so that the vision of the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji to provide conducive teaching and learning environment in all public schools in the state can be realized in good time
The Chairman lauded the Governor for paying over N3.54 billion matching grant to UBEC which facilitated the projects and for the unprecedented achievements his administration was recording in providing enabling environment for development of the basic education sector.
Akinwumi described the bid opening ceremony as a “follow up activity to the payment made by the Ekiti State helmsman and yet another bold step by the administration towards providing all children of school age in the state with unfettered access to free qualitative education through the provision of conducive teaching and learning environment in public schools in all the nooks and crannies of the state.”
He disclosed that projects that would be executed in Government owned primary and junior secondary schools across the state under the UBEC/SUBEB 2024 intervention projects in the State include: Construction of blocks of classrooms, perimeter fences ,water system toilets with deep wells and pumping machines, overhead tanks and generators as well as renovation of Blocks of classrooms ,drilling of modern boreholes with generators and overhead tanks with fetching stand and the procurement of furniture items for teachers, pupils and students.
The SUBEB Boss added that the present administration in the State has continued to prioritize the welfare of teachers and development of schools’ infrastructures as evident in payment of running grants to schools, procurement and distribution of instructional materials, training and retraining of teachers, payment of car and housing loans to teachers and elevation of degree holding teachers from GL.15 to GL.16 among other record breaking achievements.
Earlier, the SUBEB Commissioners for Project Management, Dr. Kayode Adeoye and Commissioner Human Resource Management, Dr. Olufunke Fajobi charged the contractors to ensure quality and standard project implementation.
The Commissioners stated that SUBEB would not compromise in terms of quality and standard of job expected from the contractors in respect to the proposed projects.
In his remarks , the Acting Permanent Secretary of Ekiti SUBEB , Mr Olufemi Dada assured the contractors that the bidding process would be transparent while also informing the stakeholders that all contractors will get equal bidding opportunity.
Mr Dada also noted that due process was followed in the bidding exercise which was observed by the representatives of the State Bureau of Public Procurement, the Bureau of Special Projects, Ministry of Justice, other key stakeholders and regulatory bodies in the sector.
Highpoints of the ceremony include the symbolic examination of the tender documents by two contractors to ensure transparency, as well as the opening of the bids by the Executive Chairman, SUBEB Commissioners, the management team and other dignitaries.