The Information Technology firm embroiled in the GALOP saga, TANIT Limited, has called on Parliament to investigate developments surrounding the project.
The call came in wake of the Education Ministry’s decision to abrogate its contract with the IT firm and also demand a refund of a 15% payment to the company for work done.
According to the Public Relations Officer for TANIT Limited, Mr Issac Agyemang, the firm had completed its work on the project but was paid 15% of the GH₵5,727,436.45 contract sum.
This follows delays by the Ministry of Education in examining the first phase of work done by TANIT Limited.
Per the contract terms, payment was based on deliverables. Thus, every stage completed has to be vetted and certified by the Ministry before payment would be effected.
“So in August [2021], the company delivered the first report. The Ministry was supposed to vet and certify the work and pay 15% of the contract sum, but it took up till October to vet, certify and pay the company,” said Mr Agyemang.
The delay in the Ministry’s assessment of the report slowed down TANIT’s work because “each step has to be vetted and approved before we can proceed”.
The PRO continued, “if that is not done, we cannot move on” adding that the vetting and approval are very key to their progression because “it is a systematic process.”
Despite the two-month delay by the Ministry to certify the first phase of the project to enable TANIT to continue its work, the IT firm completed the work two weeks after the contract expiration date.
However, on 22nd June 2022, “the Ministry of Education wrote to us requesting for a refund of part payment made during the execution of the contract. We responded to the Ministry of Education on 24th June 2022, raising issues with the request. The Ministry responded again to our letter on 18th July insisting on the refund”.
According to Mr Isaac Agyemang, the it the Minister’s demand was premised on the delay but the PRO denied responsibility for it saying the Ministry should be blamed for the two months delay.
He added that the contract doesn’t give the minister the right to abrogate and demand for a refund. “If we provide a service and you don’t want it, you should have a meeting with us over it.”
“There should be a parliamentary probe into the contract because we know what we have done; we have done our work,” he thus called.
