By Mama A. Touray
As the Local Government Commission of Inquiry continues its investigation into local councils, Marrie Senghore, the Managing Director of Bajam Enterprise, testified before the commission regarding the fencing of the Bakoteh dumpsite which cost over D8 million and took one year to complete.
“The fencing project was for D8.5 million for the duration of 1 year. We were unable to complete the works within a year and there was an extension of time, the fencing was completed in 2021,” said Senghore when asked about the cost of the construction of the fence.
She informed the commission that Bajam Enterprise was awarded two contracts by the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC): one for fencing the Bakoteh dumpsite and another for constructing the Kanifing Municipal Library.
Regarding the discovery of the construction contract, she said that Bajam Enterprise learned about it through a newspaper advertisement and subsequently decided to submit their bid. After their bid submission, several months passed before they were invited by the KMC for discussions. She noted that the KMC called three companies individually to negotiate prices.
“We went separately. The major thing was to negotiate the terms of the payment,” she told the commission.
“Usually, for contracts, the normal thing we do is a site visit, but I cannot remember doing that for the fencing project. After the negotiation, we were informed through writing that we have been awarded the contract,” she added.
The Commission asked her to bring the letter and the incorporation documents of the company.
When inquired about the bid security deposit, she informed the commission that she did not recall making such a deposit, nor did she remember any requirement to provide bid security.
When asked for her bidding documents, she said: “I did not keep records” and Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez told her that it was her responsibility to keep records as required by law.
The Commission however requested Marrie to bring the account statements of Bajam Enterprise from May 2018 to January 2023.
