Kogi Government on Saturday opened bidders conference for pre-qualified investors to undertake Public/Private Partnership (PPP) projects in the State.

Mr Bob Achaya, Director-General, Kogi State Bureau of Public/Private Partnership Procurement (BPPP), disclosed this at a meeting with pre-qualified investors in Lokoja.

He said the bidders’ conference was the first of its kind in the history of the state.

“Kogi State has started the BPPP implementation and we are having PPP procurement bid open to be followed by technical and financial proposals in fortnight.

“We have previously received Expression of Interest (EoI) from investors through advertisement, and opened a bid which allows us to pre-qualified companies that are interested in those projects.

“The projects include Confluence Beach Hotel, Lokoja, Mega Bus Terminal, Mega World Class Business Mall, Consolidated Billings, Environmental Revenue Levy, Sanitary Inspection of Premises, among others.

“Today, the BPPP office is engaging the Ministry of Environment, which by its mandate, procures every PPP in the state; we had earlier received seven PPP requests of no objection from the ministry.

“After review, we had only three out of the seven projects with no objection for advertisement while others go through the formal conventional procurement process.”

The director named the three categories of bidding as consolidated billings, sanitary inspection of premises and environmental revenue levy, adding that a bid fee was N350, 000 per investor.

“This bidders conference is also to intimate the bidders with issues arising, challenges, prospects and stages that will lead to the final close of the deal.

“The close of the deal is the concluding part of the business with private sector proponents who will manage and operate whatever scheme agreed upon.”

Mr Suleiman Babanawa, one of the investors, told NAN that the government of Kogi deserved commendation on the issue of BPPP for giving every investor a level playing ground.

“Initially, I was not interested because I thought it was going to be business as usual that those projects had already been awarded before advertising them.

“We are, however, proved wrong because we have been going through the normal process since we applied, we are happy that confidence is being restored which is good for the state.”

Mr Abolaji Femi, Desk Officer, Ministry of Environment, told NAN that the bidding process has been smooth due to the cooperation of the investors coupled with commitment of the state government.

Ten companies were pre-qualified by BPPP for the bidding but seven were present at the bidder’s conference. (NAN)