SAN FRANCISCO, January 31, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Customs Service, NSC, has been accused of turning down an online payment made on the Remitta platform by a prospective contractor who has met the requirement for the payment of N50,000 as condition for the collection of the bid document.
The Service rather directed the company, applying as one of the contractors seeking pre-qualification for the execution of 2016 capital project as insurance brokers, to produce evidence of depositing the sum in a bank in the form of a bank deposit slip.
This is despite the NSC eligibility criterion for the collection of bidding document which states that “interested bidders shall collect solicitation documents from the Office of Deputy-Comptroller (Procurement) room 125 at Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters … on the evidence of payment of a non-refundable fee of N50,000.00 only payable on Remitta platform to Nigeria Customs Service”.
But despite presenting a Remitta invoice with the RRR 3301-4634-5686, as well as receipt and payment advice, the contractor – Icons Insurance Brokers Ltd – said it was denied the right to collect the bid documents from the Nigeria Customs.
The company’s solicitors, Forthright Chambers, which regretted that the NCS action has prevented its client from participating in the bid process, wrote to the Comptroller-General of Customs demanding “a refund of the said N50,000.00 together with compensation that is adequate to cover cost arising in the build up to the bid process and its likely chances of winning the bid”.
The Abuja-based law firm stressed that it has been instructed by Icons Insurance to take appropriate steps to initiate a legal action against the NCS if its demands are not acceded to at the expiration of seven days from Tuesday, 31th January 2017, when the NCS acknowledged receipt of the letter.
