From Wilson Oyekemi, Ibadan
The Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan (FCAIB), on Monday opened technical bids submitted for its 2025 capital projects, reaffirming its commitment to transparency and due process in public procurement.
The exercise, held at the College Auditorium, was supervised by the College Tenders Board in line with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
The Provost, Prof. Jonathan Atungwu, led the College management team to the session, which was attended by key procurement officials, including Deputy Provost (Administration), Dr. Musiliu O. Adenekan; Deputy Provost (Academic), Dr. (Mrs.) Victoria E. Okpeze; Registrar, Mr. Abimbade S. Abass; Director of Audit, Mr. K. M. Karunwi; and Head of Bursary, Mrs. Theresa Adeoye. The immediate past Provost, Dr. (Mrs.) Elizabeth Augustus, was also in attendance alongside members of the Procurement Planning Committee.
Anchoring the ceremony, the Head of Procurement Unit, Engr. Dr. Oluwaseun Akinyele, disclosed that 71 out of 78 invited bidders successfully submitted proposals. He welcomed representatives of relevant professional and monitoring organisations, including the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and civil society observers.
In his remarks, Prof. Atungwu assured bidders that the College would remain fair, impartial, and accountable throughout the procurement cycle. He noted that he had no prior dealings with any contractor and urged participants to view the process as a shared effort toward strengthening institutional development.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that the resources entrusted to this College deliver maximum value. Procurement must support quality infrastructure that serves our students and the nation,” he said.
The bids were opened under eight project lots, covering construction, rehabilitation, furnishing, and ICT enhancement. These include provision of electricity and solar systems; construction of an ultramodern library; rehabilitation of academic spaces; an agricultural administrative complex; renovation of hostels; animal production laboratories; an engineering complex; and supply of computers and ICT facilities.
The exercise featured inspection, sorting, endorsement of documents, and signing of the official register. Technical submissions were separated from financial bids to allow professional evaluation.
Prof. Atungwu applauded the Procurement Unit and staff involved for ensuring orderliness and compliance with regulatory standards. He assured the contractor that only competent firms would emerge from the selection process.
Some bidders praised FCAIB for what they described as a transparent and well-organised exercise, expressing hope that the fairness demonstrated at the bid opening would be sustained through evaluation and award stages.
