The 2020 Auditor-General’s report has cited the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) for breaching Section 28 of the Public Procurement Act 2003.
The report on the GPHA said the management could not provide the AG’s office with the procurement documents for the seven transactions totalling GH¢1,827,453.31 for their review.
The AG has, therefore, advised management to ensure that procurement documents are made available for our review failing which the Procurement officer, the authorising, and the approving officers shall be held liable for the amount involved.
Although the Authority has 100% equity interest in International Maritime Hospital (IMAH) with an amount of GH¢179,383,362, the report could not sight any report on the performance of the investment.
“We advised Management to obtain at least half year operational report and audited financial statements each year from IMAH,” the report said.
On procurement issues, the management through the Evaluation Committee recommended PKF Scientific Ltd to supply a chemistry analyser at a contract sum of GH¢248,246.87.
The contract was, however, awarded to and executed by DCL, a non-tenderer, in the sum of GH¢276,674.27.
“We recommended that the additional cost of GH¢23,427.40 should be jointly refunded by the authorizers of the transaction (Director General, Director of Finance and AG. Director Procurement) since their collective negligence resulted in the payment of the additional cost,” the report stated.
Aside from these breaches, the GPHA carried out eight (8) different procurements with a face value of GH¢5,115,487.47 using the Singlesource procurement method without obtaining prior approvals from the Board of the Public Procurement Authority.
“Similarly, Management engaged in a restricted tendering in the sum of GH¢1,193,398.67 without obtaining approval from the Public Procurement Authority Board. We recommended that the Management of GPHA should be sanctioned in accordance with Section 92 of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as amended”.
The audit team request to review contract documents was not
honoured by Management of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.
“We recommended to Management to retrieve the document involved
and forward them for our audit review failing which sanctions should
be invoked against Management in accordance with Section 8 of the
PFM Act, 2016 for financial indiscipline,” the report concluded.
