The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has opened bids for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) phase of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC).

The e-launch had the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Civil Liberties Organizations (CLO) in attendance.

The first phase of the event was completed earlier this year and this marks the take-off of the second phase of the rehabilitation.

At the event, the GMD of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, who was represented by the Chief Operating Officer, Ventures and Business Development, Engineer Adeyemi Adetunji, said the four state-owned refineries will be revamped. The revamp will reduce the importation of petroleum products, created jobs and improve the national economy for the betterment of the people.

The Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services, NNPC, Engineer Mohammed Ahmed, praised the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Civil Liberty Organisations (CLO) for their sustained collaboration with the NNPC in ensuring the entrenchment of the Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE) policy of the current management of the Corporation.

The MD of PHRC, Engineer Ahmed Dikko, said the Company is ready to start the EPC phase of the rehabilitation of the plant. Due to the pandemic, the bids were submitted electronically. The Group General Manager, Supply Chain Management, Mrs Aisha Katagum, applauded the bidders for their pre-qualification success to the technical phase.

The General Manager, Supply Chain Management, Sophia Mbakwe, said the bids were submitted through the NipeX portal for the pre-qualification for technical evaluation and assured the public that the process will be fair for all bidders. The external observes from the several bodies present also praised the commitment of the NNPC to the automation of the process, and expressed their belief that the process will ensure the best technical bidder is selected.