The beauty of robust local content in the nation’s oil and gas sector are beginning to play out as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has disclosed that about 50 companies had submitted bids for the supply of sea worthy tug boats on charter basis.
Before the massive crusade on local content in the sector, the number of local firms hovers around six and 15.
The corporation had in a statement by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu, said the boats would be for the maritime operational requirements of the NNPC in Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt.
Additional details in the statement indicated that the public opening of the bids at the NNPC headquarters had in attendance representatives of the bidding companies and officials of the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP.
Other agencies of government represented were the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR; Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI; Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB; and some members of the civil society as observers.
He said that successful companies would be engaged on a two year term contract in the first instance with an option of renewalfor a further one year.
Mr. Ughamadu said winners are expected to provide services which include: aiding the berth and un-berth of all ships operating at the NNPC jetties.
They are to also provide logistics support for safe ship-to-ship operations which covers movement of fenders, horses, documents, rigging and unrigging of fenders among other services.
The statement quoted NNPC’s Group General Manager, Supply Chain, Shehu Liman, as saying at the bidding ceremony that NNPC management was determined to instill and sustain “the values of transparency, accountability and integrity in the procurement process.”
Mr. Liman said that the bidding process provided a level playing space for all stakeholders, adding that the entire exercise was in conformity with existing Federal Government legislation on procurement.
He said that the process was also based on NNPC’s standing regulations on procurement to ensure transparency and fairness.
He said services to be rendered by successful companies would include stand-by and positioning of vessels at the Single Point Moring (SPM) buoy among other marine services.
