The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has open the bid of over 1,000 companies that have shown interest in executing various railway projects for the 2021 fiscal year.
The Director of Procurement, Mr. Ben Iloanusi, made this known saying over 1,000 local firms indicated interest when the bid formally closed by 12 pm on Thursday.
“What we are doing today is the opening of the prequalification process and we are not evaluating yet. We will evaluate after this process,” he said.
The open bidding process, which was done in the presence of representatives of the companies in attendance, ensuring transparency in the process, the corporation said.
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The NRC has budgeted over N23 billion capital in the 2021 budget apart from the N71 billion counterpart funding for the Ibadan-Kano standard gauge railway.
Some of the projects the NRC has penned down for this year include track rehabilitation and procurement of track materials, among others.
The Director of Operations, NRC, Mr. Niyi Ali explained, “This is not the bidding process per se, it is an opening of the expression of interest for the 2021 capital project of the railway cooperation.
“We expect a transparent process, we want it to be clear-cut and allow everyone an equal chance with the relevant act and regulations of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“What happens next is the technical evaluation. After that, the preferred bidders will be selected and invited to give them further details of projects available for them.”
