The Kwara State Government has conducted the bid opening exercise for the procurement of infrastructure for four Agricultural Transformation Centres (ATCs) under the Kwara State Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Project.
The proposed ATCs will be located in Olodan, Ifelodun Local Government Area; Afon, Asa LGA; Gidan Magajiya, Baruten LGA and Kinikini, Kaiama LGA. They are expected to serve as aggregation and raw-material supply centres for the Agro-Industrial Hub (AIH) planned for Malete, Moro LGA.
The infrastructure procurement is divided into two packages, with each package comprising three lots covering the four designated ATC locations.
Speaking during the bid opening exercise, the State Project Coordinator, Engr. Dr. Busari Toyin Isiaka, described the exercise as an important stage of the procurement process designed to promote transparency, fairness and accountability.
He said the procurement activities under the Kwara SAPZ Project were being conducted in strict compliance with the procurement framework and guidelines of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the SAPZ Programme.
Engr. Dr. Busari commended the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for his administration’s commitment to transparency, due process and accountability in public procurement.
“The bid opening process reinforces transparency and provides a sound foundation for a fair and competitive evaluation. It gives bidders confidence that the process is being conducted openly and that every responsive bid will be given due consideration in accordance with the applicable guidelines,” he said.
He added that the Kwara SAPZ Project remained committed to maintaining high standards of transparency, fairness and credibility throughout the procurement process.
According to him, the successful delivery of the ATCs would contribute to agricultural productivity, value-chain development, job creation and the economic transformation of communities across the state.
“We appreciate the interest of all the bidders and commend their orderly and professional conduct during the exercise,” he added.
Also speaking, the Technical Assistant on Procurement to the National Programme Coordinator, Mr. Anthony Onyekweli, commended the bidders and other participants for their patience and participation.
He explained that the bid opening represented an initial stage of the procurement process, which would be followed by a detailed evaluation of the bids in accordance with the applicable procedures.
He added that relevant documentation from the procurement process would be submitted to the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) for review and clearance in line with its procurement requirements.
Commenting on the exercise, the Procurement Officer of Agro-Precise Ltd., Abase Zecharian, described the bid opening as transparent, orderly and hitch-free.
He commended the Kwara State Government and the Kwara SAPZ Project team for ensuring a credible procurement exercise.
Other participants included the Consultancy Team Lead of Bentley Adams Nigeria Limited, Engr. Dr. Adekunle Olaoye; members of the Evaluation Team and the Programme Manager of the Centre for Community Development and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE), Engr. Tajudeen Yusuf, among other stakeholders.
The bid opening marks another step towards the establishment of the Agricultural Transformation Centres, which are expected to strengthen linkages between farmers and producers in participating communities and the proposed Agro-Industrial Hub in Malete.
