Liberia: Irony to Reciprocal Diplomacy in NEC’s BVR Process?

Professional Services International (PSI) has opened up on the ongoing controversial Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) equipment and software supply, noting that what the National Elections Commission (NEC) is equated to an “irony of reciprocal diplomacy.”

Varney Fahnnbulleh, the founder and chief executive officer of PSI, told the Daily Observer in an interview yesterday that he is finding it difficult to unravel the reason why NEC has decided not to use the services and expertise of HID Global, even though Liberia continues to beg America for support in almost every development undertaken.

“PSI is the local partner to HID Global. HID is an American company. We have come to inform the public that we have election materials, particularly the required rugged biometric tablets in the country. We have already completed the needed customized software for the National Elections Commission. We built it over time, and the Commission is aware of this but we don’t know why NEC is not coming our way,” Fahnbulleh said.

HID Global, in partnership with PSI, applied and successfully participated in NEC’s bid evaluation processes and was listed in the bid panel’s report as one of the most responsive companies.

However, NEC’s bid evaluation panel, with supervision and oversight from Davidetta Browne Lansanah, chair of NEC, selected EKEMP, a Chinese company but was twice denied a “No Objection” by the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC).

The Commission later selected Laxton, a Dutch Company,  even though in its bid evaluation report noted that company was not qualified on grounds that a laptop was used to print and that it lacked the capacity to pre-finance.

Fahnbulleh said President George Weah, at the just ended U.S. Africa Democracy Summit, begged US President Joe Biden for support to the 2023 elections but the country electoral body is  refusing to consider an American company that is qualified and has all it takes to deliver.

Weah, in his remarks at the conference, assured the US of his government’s commitment to conduct free, fair and transparent elections but appealed for support, something President Biden approved.

“HID Global is a multi-billion-dollar company with vast capacity and experience in the production of security featured identification cards. PSI has over a decade of experience too. We started with NEC in 2010 and we helped the Commission build its customized system. We were a part of the advisors who called on NEC to digitize its system,” he explained.

Materials in Liberia

Meanwhile, Fahnbulleh has disclosed that his company has the required rugged biometric materials in the country and that NEC can use them for training of elections staff, saying “if considered, the Commission would be relieved of any worry about loss of time to conduct the BVR process.”

 “That is no obligation to NEC. As a responsible business entity we have the fortitude of foresight. We look beyond. We knew years back that there was going to be biometric voter registration in Liberia. So we brought in these materials in 2018.  NEC is aware that we have the materials,” he said.

The PSI boss said, his partner, HID Global is equally concerned while Liberia is not interested in using its services, more so that it has all of the capacities, including finance, technical know-how and the required local support to work with the Commission.

He said he does not consider what is happening as anything personal but thinking out while Liberia neglects a major partner that is not only qualified but willing to help the country meet up with its demands for quality and secured voter identification.

Fahnbulleh told the Daily Observer that “NEC chairman might mean well but is probably misled by some people she trusts.”

“I know Madam Chair is a good woman. I think she has been misled into believing what she believes now,” he said.

Fahnbulleh added that HID Global has the machines in stock and can deliver in less than two months, apart from the training materials that are already in the country. 

Signing of Contract with Laxton

The Daily Observer is informed that Lansanah, who yesterday returned from Ivory Coast after attending the ECOWAS Elections Commissions Network conference, will likely sign a contract with Laxton today (December 16).

All efforts to hear from NEC did not materialize as both text messages and calls went unattended to.

With Barely ten months to the conduct of the Presidential and Legislative Elections in 2023, the National Elections Commission (NEC) is in negotiation with Laxton, the Dutch company it has selected and gotten a “No Objection” from the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) to reduce its (Laxton) long biometric delivery timeline.