SONEB: Appeal rejected, security market resumes

The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARMP) relaunched the security and surveillance market for SONEB’s production sites on August 11, 2026, after a challenge from Groupe S.L. Sécurité Privée. It deemed the appeal admissible but unfounded, lifting the suspension on lots 2 to 5.

Decision No. 2026-086, published by the ARMP on September 17, pertains to the tender S_DAAG_115150. The contract covers production sites in the Atlantic region as well as in the Ouémé-Plateau, Mono-Couffo, Zou-Collines, Borgou-Alibori, and Atacora-Donga areas, structured as a two-year framework agreement with purchase orders.

Groupe S.L. Sécurité Privée contested the rejection of its bids due to non-compliance regarding the written confirmation of the signatory. The company initially filed an appeal with the person responsible for public procurement at SONEB, but did not receive a favorable response, prompting it to approach the ARMP on August 3, 2026.

The dispute centered on a document related to the signature of the bid. The call for tenders required a written confirmation, dated, signed, and stamped when the signatory is not the primary responsible person of the company. However, Romaric Clotaire Hountondji, the manager of Groupe S.L. Sécurité Privée, had signed the bids himself while also attaching a written confirmation regarding the signatory’s authorization.

According to the ARMP, this confirmation was unnecessary since the manager was the signatory. The authority concluded that the presence of this document, given that the bid already bore the signature of the primary responsible person of the company, rendered the bids in question non-compliant with the requirements of the call for tenders.

The Dispute Resolution Commission thus confirmed the validity of the rejection of Groupe S.L. Sécurité Privée’s bids. Its decision orders the continuation of the procedure for lots 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the SONEB security contract.

The parties may contest this decision before the Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court within one (1) month from its notification.