The Togolese Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARCOP Togo) has officially closed the controversy surrounding the PEREL PLUS international tender on June 19, 2026, with Decision No. 024-2026 rejecting all allegations of irregularities in the Lomé electricity network expansion project.
Following a thorough investigation and hearing of the CEET’s public procurement officer, the Dispute Resolution Committee (CRD) concluded that the accusations lacked substance. The allegations, lodged anonymously on March 28 and April 8, 2026, had raised serious concerns about the tender process managed by the Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo (CEET).
Tender process under scrutiny but fully compliant
The anonymous complaints pointed to four main irregularities:
- A restricted list without prequalification
- Overrepresentation of foreign firms
- Failure to split the contract into smaller lots
- Excessively stringent qualification criteria
However, the CRD’s investigation found that the procedure was properly supervised through an official prequalification phase, which resulted in nine candidates being shortlisted from 15 expressions of interest.
PEREL PLUS project gains technical partner approvals
The tender documentation received clearance from both the National Directorate of Public Procurement Control (DNCCP Togo) and the French Development Agency (AFD), which is financing the project.
The CRD emphasized that in externally funded projects, the lender’s guidelines take precedence over certain national regulations, particularly regarding contract lot structuring. This explains why some of the raised concerns about the tender process did not hold up under scrutiny.
