SENELEC: Annule Appel d'Offres Compteurs Intelligents Après Controverses

• SENELEC has cancelled its international tender for smart meters, confirming no contract will be awarded from this procedure.
• The decision, signed by Director General Papa Toby Gaye, cited the funder's directive, with the World Bank later expressing "misprocurement" concerns.
• The tender, part of a World Bank-financed Project for the Improvement of Electricity Access Development in Senegal, faced multiple annulments by ARCOP.
• ARCOP had previously cancelled awards to Hexing and Shenzhen Clou, ordering re-evaluations due to conflicts of interest and procedural issues.
• The cancellation letter does not specify if a new tender will be launched for the smart meters intended for households, health facilities, schools, and SMEs.

The repeated interventions by ARCOP and the explicit concerns raised by the World Bank regarding "misprocurement" highlight the critical importance of strict adherence to both national procurement laws and international financier guidelines.

SENELEC has officially terminated the international tender process for the acquisition of smart meters, confirming that no contract will be awarded following this procedure. The state-owned utility, through a letter signed by its Director General, Papa Toby Gaye, explicitly stated that this cancellation brings the entire procurement and attribution process to an end. While the decision cited the funder's directive, the specific entity was not named in the correspondence. This tender was a component of the broader Project for the Improvement of Electricity Access Development in Senegal, a significant initiative backed by a credit from the World Bank, which was subsequently retroceded to SENELEC.

The procurement for these smart meters, intended for various beneficiaries including households, health facilities, schools, and small and medium-sized enterprises, had a tumultuous history. The initial technical bid opening in February 2024 saw eight offers submitted. However, the process was plagued by multiple setbacks. In June 2025, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARCOP) intervened, annulling an earlier award to Hexing and mandating a fresh evaluation. This initial annulment by ARCOP was prompted by a detected conflict of interest involving both Hexing and Shenzhen Kaifa, highlighting early issues in the annulation marché public SENELEC.

Following this, SENELEC proceeded to select Shenzhen Clou in late December 2025. This choice, however, also faced challenges. An appeal lodged by Inhemeter led ARCOP to once again annul the attribution in March 2026, subsequently ordering another re-evaluation of the bids. The cancellation letter, as reported by Senenews, does not indicate whether a new appel d'offres compteurs intelligents will be initiated to fulfill the project's objectives.

The repeated interventions by ARCOP underscore the stringent regulatory environment governing public procurement in Senegal, particularly for projects involving international financing. The initial annulment in June 2025 by ARCOP, citing a conflit d'intérêts marchés publics Sénégal against Hexing and Shenzhen Kaifa, set a precedent for the close scrutiny applied to this tender. Later, SENELEC's justification for choosing Shenzhen Clou was based on a message from the World Bank, reportedly advising the selection of the third-ranked bidder. However, a critical detail emerged: the original correspondence to which this World Bank message was a response had not been provided to ARCOP, as reported by Les Échos. This lack of transparency likely contributed to ARCOP's subsequent decision to annul the second award.

Further complicating the matter, the World Bank itself expressed significant reservations. In a letter addressed to Finance Minister Cheikh Diba, the institution raised concerns about a potential "misprocurement." This term, as defined by the World Bank, refers to a procurement procedure that is likely to be non-compliant with the established financing rules. The involvement of the Banque Mondiale misprocurement Sénégal concerns signals a serious breach of conditions, which ultimately contributed to the definitive annulation marché public SENELEC. The tender notice itself had been widely published in December 2023, appearing in the World Bank's STEP system, UNDB, and the local newspaper "Le Soleil," indicating the international scope and visibility of the process.

The definitive cancellation of the appel d'offres compteurs intelligents by SENELEC carries significant implications for the Projet amélioration accès électricité Sénégal and future public procurement activities in the country. The repeated interventions by ARCOP and the explicit concerns raised by the World Bank regarding "misprocurement" highlight the critical importance of strict adherence to both national procurement laws and international financier guidelines. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of procedural irregularities and conflicts of interest in large-scale public contracts.

For SENELEC, this outcome means a delay in the deployment of smart meters, which are crucial for modernizing the electricity grid and improving service delivery to various segments of the population. The absence of an immediate announcement regarding a new tender process leaves uncertainty about the project's timeline. More broadly, this situation emphasizes the need for enhanced due diligence and transparency from all parties involved in public tenders, especially when international development funds are at stake. It underscores that even with high-profile projects and prominent figures like Papa Toby Gaye SENELEC overseeing them, compliance failures can lead to complete tender cancellations, impacting development goals and potentially leading to reputational damage for the entities involved.

This incident highlights the significant compliance risks in public procurement in Senegal, especially for projects involving international funding like the World Bank. Lawyers advising bidders must ensure meticulous adherence to both national procurement laws and international financier guidelines, as procedural irregularities, conflicts of interest, and 'misprocurement' concerns can lead to tender cancellations and reputational damage. It also signals potential for future regulatory changes or increased scrutiny in similar tenders.

Source: Reporting based on Senenews and Les Échos.