Freetown, 12th October 2026– The Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation (MoCTI) has defended the technical evaluation of Tiwai Memory Masters Ltd (TMM) in the procurement process for the supply, installation, implementation and support of Government Wide Area Networks (GWAN) and Government Local Area Networks (GLANs), insisting that the company was fairly assessed and remains eligible to compete for the contract.
In a formal response dated September 18, 2026, the Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project rejected concerns raised by TMM over its technical score of 88.86 percent, which the company argued was significantly lower than its own internal assessment of 96 percent.
The ministry clarified that TMM was not disqualified from the procurement process and had successfully met the technical threshold required to advance to the next stage. As a result, the company was invited to participate in the opening of financial proposals scheduled for September 29, 2026.
According to the ministry, the Evaluation Committee’s assessment found that while TMM submitted a generally strong and technically responsive proposal, deductions were made in several areas where evaluators identified shortcomings in detail, consistency, specificity and supporting evidence.
The response noted that some aspects of TMM’s proposed network architecture, security arrangements and high-availability plans were presented in broad terms and lacked sufficient tailoring to the specific requirements of the nationwide GWAN and GLAN project. Evaluators also found gaps in the company’s implementation methodology, deployment planning, network resilience measures and post-implementation support framework.
Additional deductions were linked to concerns over key personnel credentials and supporting documentation. The ministry stated that some expert qualifications did not fully meet the criteria outlined in the Request for Proposals, while some certifications had expired or lacked sufficient evidence of comparable project experience.
Despite these concerns, the ministry emphasized that the score of 88.86 percent reflected a proposal that was technically sound and capable of implementation. It stressed that deductions did not indicate an absence of competence but were based on the extent to which the submission complied with detailed evaluation requirements.
Responding to TMM’s request for individual evaluator scores, detailed calculations and internal evaluation records, MoCTI said procurement transparency must be balanced with the need to protect confidential deliberations and commercially sensitive information. The ministry maintained that only information relating directly to TMM’s proposal and the published evaluation criteria could be disclosed.
The ministry also rejected any suggestion that the procurement process should be suspended, stating that TMM’s concerns did not constitute a formal complaint requiring a halt under the applicable procurement framework. Consequently, the tender process would proceed according to schedule unless directed otherwise by the World Bank.
In its conclusion, the ministry reaffirmed that TMM had been evaluated in accordance with the Request for Proposals, had met the technical requirements for progression, and would continue to participate in the next phase of the competition. It further pledged to uphold transparency, fairness and consistency throughout the procurement process.
