The Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority (SLRTA) has contracted Courtville Business Solution (CBS) PLC to upgrade its Management Information System (MIS).
“Operational problems such as synchronization of databases and the need to reconcile payments received at banking institutions.
SLRTA revealed that their aging registration centers operated in isolation and fine vehicle registration evasion costs the authority billions of Leones in lost revenue and threat to road users’ security.
The contract obligation handed down to CBS covers the synchronization of auto registration databases country wide and the centralization of payment services.
The authority is confident that the MIS upgrade would “enhance” its revenue collection capabilities and “drastically reduce fine evasion” at the moment calculated at Le3billion in lost revenue.
In an interview with Awoko, Mr. Kellah, a Senior Management official of SLRTA, said the upgrade would “greatly improve” service accessibility from eight service outlets to a “minimum thirty outlets,” and argued that “although the number of vehicles registered by the Authority as at 31st December 2010 totaled 135,322, the Authority only licensed 48,807 vehicles.”
Hr added that with the “opening of at least thirty processing centers nationwide, even if registered vehicles is adjusted downwards by 25% (101,492), revenue will increase from the current Le.4,258,070,000 to Le.9,318,000,000”.
The $3.1M deal (to be paid in five years) Mr.Kellah said, transfers the responsibility of procuring equipment, inter-connectivity and consumables “averaging around Le, 4,748,000,000 annually” to CBS.
The MIS design, he said, will be multi-tier; it will separate the user interface from the business logic and database layers, and will enable Traffic Wardens to access databases using hand held devices.
The Courtville deal has however come under intense attacks by the media and politicians over “cost” of the deal, “competence” of the contractor and its ability to secure registration information against identity theft.
SLRTA management was accused of “improperly awarding” the contract and for “inflating” the cost of the upgrade.
Mr. Vandy Chidi Minah, Minister of Transport and Aviation in a government media briefing informed the press that the deal “satisfied” national procurement regulations and has the “blessing” of the attorney general’s office.
He exonerated the acting SLRTA boss, Mr. Ahmed Yansaneh, who had come under series of attacks by the media for alleged “improper handling” of the deal
Courtville Business Solution PLC is a Nigerian firm incorporated as a limited Liability company in 2005.
By Solomon Raye Wilson