In brief
- On 30 September 2014, Somaliland Sun reported that the National Tender Board said the OPU training tender process met international standards.
- The report names Saladin Security as winner of the training contract, reported as US$6 million, for a proposed 420-member Oil Protection Unit.
- The source does not establish whether the OPU was recruited, trained, or deployed, or whether oil extraction began by the stated mid-2015 target.
On 30 September 2014, Somaliland Sun reported that the National Tender Board (NTB) said the tender for the Oil Protection Unit (OPU) training contract was "unto international standards". The report does not establish what has happened to the contract, the force, or the oil extraction target since that date.
According to the Somaliland Sun report, British security company Saladin Security would train the OPU at a cost of US$6 million. The same report later describes the contract as "over $6m". Saladin Security was named as the winner, with Olive security as runner-up, according to the report.
NTB chairman Aden Abdilahi Hasan 'Nugaal' said Saladin Security won the contract after satisfying the NTB and an external committee of stakeholders that included the ministers of Interior, Energy, Defence, Foreign Affairs, the Presidency and UK firm Assaye Risk. Assaye Risk drew the OPU blueprint and tender documents, the chairman said.
Assaye Risk director JMR Hopkins said the tendering evaluation was fair and transparent, "devoid of corruption or external interference", the report states. The NTB chairman said the board was not interested in the home origin of bidders but in their suitability for the contract, which he said entails training, procurement and evaluation of a 420-member force recruited from existing police and army elements.
American firm 4R, one of six bidders, lost the contract. 4R spokesman Mark Foreman accused the NTB and Somaliland government of corruption, the report says. The NTB chairman dismissed the allegation, saying 4R failed to satisfy the tendering process and calling the claims "bitterness based".
The same report says the OPU was legalised by presidential decree #JSL/M/XERM/249-2800/092014, issued by President Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo on 27 September 2014. It also says the UN had warned that the OPU and oil activities in Sool region would create insecurity, citing a report from its Eritrea and Somalia monitoring group.
As of 30 September 2014, a government team including Interior Minister Ali Mohamed Waran'ade and Energy Minister Eng Hussein Abdi Duale was in Dubai to brief international oil firms on OPU development, with a stated aim of commencing oil extraction by mid-2015.
What happened after that date is not established in the source.
Frequently asked questions
What evidence supports the claim of international standards?
The claim rests on statements by NTB chairman Aden Abdilahi Hasan 'Nugaal' and Assaye Risk director JMR Hopkins, as reported by Somaliland Sun on 30 September 2014. No independent audit or tender document is cited.
Which OPU tenders are being referred to?
The report refers to a single tender for training the Oil Protection Unit. Six firms responded; Saladin Security was named winner, Olive security runner-up, and 4R was an unsuccessful bidder.
How does this affect future procurement?
The dispute between 4R and the NTB, along with the reported US$6 million contract, may shape scrutiny of future Somaliland security-related tenders, but the source does not record any subsequent procurement decisions.