IPRP Upholds TMM’s 88.86% Score in Sierra Leone Digital Network Tender

The Independent Procurement Review Panel has dismissed a complaint by Tiwai Memory Masters Ltd challenging its technical evaluation in Sierra Leone’s Digital Transformation Project.

In its ruling on 6 October 2026, the Panel upheld TMM’s score of 88.86 out of 100, ordered the lifting of any suspension imposed because of the complaint and directed the procurement process to continue with the opening of financial proposals and subsequent procedures.

Panel upholds evaluation

The procurement covers the supply, installation, implementation and support of Government Wide Area Networks and Government Local Area Networks for ministries, departments and agencies.

TMM had argued that its proposal deserved approximately 96 percent based on the company’s own assessment, rather than the 88.86 percent awarded by the Evaluation Committee.

After reviewing documentary evidence, technical submissions and oral arguments from both sides, the IPRP concluded that the assessment followed the criteria set out in the Request for Proposals.

“The mark allocated to the Complainant was fair and correct, taking into account all the arithmetic calculations and the evaluation process carried out,” the Panel said in its ruling.

The Panel identified weaknesses and inconsistencies in areas including vendor terminology, equipment models, security, high-availability arrangements, network requirements, device-level architecture and regional metro-network design.

Concerns over network design

During the proceedings, the Respondent said TMM had proposed approximately 61.4 kilometres of fibre infrastructure, compared with 208 kilometres specified in the procurement requirements.

Port Loko was also omitted from TMM’s proposed regional metro-network design, according to the ruling. The Panel considered the proposal’s arrangements for network redundancy and failover inadequate.

The Evaluation Committee did not disqualify TMM. Instead, it awarded marks for areas where the company demonstrated technical competence and applied deductions where requirements were not fully met.

Employment representation criticised

The Panel also examined information concerning Rashid Abu. It found that he had been presented as employed by TMM for the preceding 10 years while he was working for the Central Bank of Sierra Leone.

“We found that Rashid Abu working for the Central Bank of Sierra Leone cannot at the same time be in a full-time employment with the Complainant,” the Panel said. It described the representation as “tantamount to fraud.”

The characterization was part of the Panel’s ruling and was not a criminal conviction or a separate judicial determination.

The Panel further criticised remarks by TMM representative Mohamed Alpheus Turay, saying they were derogatory toward the Respondent and members of the Panel. Turay was cautioned against repeating such conduct.

Procurement to continue

TMM remains eligible to participate in the next stage of the process. The ruling does not amount to a final contract award, and the remaining procurement procedures must still be completed.

The project is part of a World Bank-funded initiative intended to strengthen Sierra Leone’s digital infrastructure, improve government connectivity and support the modernization of public services.