Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) through the Productive Partnership in Agriculture Project (PPAP) gave an insight into the stringent World Bank bid evaluation process to Eastern Highlands Provincial administration’s top management last week.
In attendance was acting provincial administrator (PA) Samson Akunaii, deputy PA Ben Ulopo, provincial works manager John Posagu, provincial treasurer Vilo Wartove, provincial policy planning adviser Peter Gare, CIC general manager Steven Tumae and PPAP (coffee) project manager Potaisa Hombunaka.
The bid evaluation meeting last week was for a World Bank funded 5km feeder road to provide market access to some 20,000 smallholder coffee growers in the remote Tairora area of Eastern Highlands Province.
Akunaii was overwhelmed with the meeting and requested the CIC team to email the WB procurement and Bid evaluation process to them for their consideration with the provincial works office to improve governance and management of public funds.
The World Bank’s Bid Evaluation process was rigorous and considered among others the past performance of the contractors, financial capacity and annual financial turnovers of the bidders.
CIC-PPAP Project Manager Hombunaka was pleased with the support of senior government officers and CIC for participating in the project’s first tender evaluation meeting which follows the World Bank criteria.
The PPAP is an agriculture sector development initiative designed to improve the livelihood of smallholder cocoa and coffee producers supported by the project. The coffee rehabilitation efforts are being undertaken through the following three main components:
• Providing Industry Coordination and Policy Development to improve the performance of sector institutions in the coffee sector;
• Developing Productive Partnerships in the public-private alliances in project areas with the goal of improving productivity and market linkages; and
• Improving Market Access for smallholder coffee growers in the target areas or provinces.