TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE
For businesses, Government users, and registered participants
INTRODUCTION
These Terms and Conditions (“The Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Salone EGP Electronic Government Procurement System (“Platform”). The Salone EGP Platform is built, owned, and operated by the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone through the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA) and the Ministry of Finance.
By accessing or registering an account on Salone EGP, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms, and confirm that you have authority to bind your business, institution, or organization to these Terms.
The Platform facilitates digital governance in public procurement and integrates with critical national systems including the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS), commercial banks, and the National Investment Board (NIB).
1. PURPOSE OF THE PLATFORM
- To serve as the official national electronic procurement system for publishing procurement opportunities, bids, managing submissions of bids, reviewing bids, awarding contracts, and issuing notices.
- To enable suppliers, consultants, contractors, NGOs, state institutions, and public entities to conduct procurement transactions electronically.
- To support transparency, accountability, and efficiency objectives across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
- To link procurement processes to other national financial, tax, and business systems for verification, validation, and compliance.
- To digitize the end-to-end procurement lifecycle from planning to contract management.
2. DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
- “Platform” – The Salone EGP system, including all software, servers, interfaces, and tools provided by the Government of Sierra Leone.
- “User” – Any individual or organization registered on the Platform.
- “Primary Email Address” – The official email used to create and manage the account, and where all system notifications are sent.
- “Additional Email Addresses” – Secondary contacts added by the user, for administrative purposes only.
- “Business Profile” – All company, institutional, administrative, technical, and financial data provided during registration.
- “Financial Instruments” – Bank guarantees, bid securities, performance bonds, letters of credit, and similar documents.
- “IFMIS” – Integrated Financial Management Information System used by government for budget execution.
- “ITAS” – Integrated Tax Administration System used by the National Revenue Authority (NRA) for electronic tax registration, filing, assessments, and verification.
- “Applicable Law” – Includes the Public Procurement Act, Anti-Corruption Act, Public Financial Management Act, & Regulations, Cybersecurity guidelines, and emerging Data Protection laws in Sierra Leone.
3. USER REGISTRATION AND ACCOUNT RESPONSIBILITIES
Users self-register using the Salone EGP online registration form. Registration requires:
- Legal business name
- Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration details
- Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) verified through ITAS
- Ownership and directors’ details
- Valid Primary Email Address
- Authorized representative details
The Users must:
- Provide complete and accurate information
- Update information immediately when changes occur
- Maintain an active and accessible Primary Email Address
- Ensure only authorized personnel access the business account
Account authentication requires:
- Secure password creation
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) where enabled
- Immediate reporting of suspected account compromise
All actions performed under your account are considered authorized by you.
4. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
Users must only use the Platform for lawful procurement activities. The following actions are prohibited:
- Attempting to access unauthorized parts of the system
- Interfering with platform functionality or security
- Uploading malicious files, scripts, or harmful code
- Impersonating another business or user
- Submitting fraudulent or altered documents
- Bypassing security controls or attempting to reverse engineer the system
Violations shall lead to:
- Account suspension
- Disqualification from procurement processes
- Reporting to the Anti-Corruption Commission
- Legal prosecution under Sierra Leone law
5. SYSTEM COMMUNICATION AND EMAIL POLICY
- All official communication from Salone EGP is sent exclusively to the Primary Email Address.
- The Government is not responsible for missed notifications due to inactive email accounts, spam filtering, or user negligence.
- Users must ensure they check the Primary Email Address regularly.
6. PAYMENT REQUIREMENTS AND FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
- Users may be required to pay:
- Supplier registration fees
- Renewal fees
- Tender participation fees
- Fees for obtaining bidding documents
- Financial instruments must:
- Be issued by legitimate banks or licensed institutions
- Be valid, accurate, and verifiable
- Be uploaded clearly and legibly
- Submission of fraudulent documents will result in:
- Immediate suspension
- Notification to law enforcement
- Permanent disqualification from government procurement
7. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION AND OFFICIAL TIMESTAMP POLICY
- The Platform timestamps all submissions.
- The Salone EGP server time is the official and binding time for:
- Bid submissions
- Clarification deadlines
- Opening times
- Contract award notifications
- Late submissions are automatically rejected.
- Electronic submissions carry the same legal weight as physical documents.
8. DATA PROTECTION, PRIVACY, AND INFORMATION USE
- The Platform collects and processes personal and business data including:
- Names, titles, phone numbers, email addresses
- Business registration documents
- Directors and ownership information
- Tax details retrieved via ITAS
- Bank verification information
- IP addresses and system logs
- Uploaded documents, bids, and clarifications
- Data may be shared with:
- Procuring entities
- Audit Service Sierra Leone
- Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)
- Commercial banks
- NRA (via ITAS)
- CAC and NIB
- Other regulatory or oversight bodies
- Data protection measures include:
- Encrypted data transfer
- Role-based access controls
- Logging and audit trails
- Regular backups
- Cybersecurity monitoring
- Disaster recovery provisions
- However, no system is fully risk-free.
9. USER SECURITY OBLIGATIONS
- Users must:
- Use secure and updated devices
- Install antivirus and anti-malware protection
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive submissions
- Restrict access to authorized staff members
- Immediately remove access for staff who leave the business
- Report suspicious activity to the Salone EGP Support Team
10. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
- The Platform’s software, architecture, and interface are owned by the Government of Sierra Leone.
- Users shall not:
- Copy, modify, or replicate platform components
- Reverse-engineer the code
- Develop competing systems using Platform materials
11. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE AND AVAILABILITY
- The Government strives for continuous system availability; however:
- Maintenance, updates, and outages may occur
- External systems (banks, ITAS, IFMIS) may impact performance
- Users are advised to avoid submitting documents close to deadlines.
12. CHANGES TO TERMS AND PLATFORM FEATURES
- The Government may update:
- Terms of Use
- Functional modules
- Integration methods
- Security features
- Fee structures
- Continued use constitutes agreement to updated Terms.
13. TERMINATION OR SUSPENSION OF ACCOUNTS
- Accounts shall be suspended or terminated if:
- Fraud is suspected
- False documents are uploaded
- System security is compromised
- Required verifications fail
- A court order or legal directive requires it
14. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
- The Government is not liable for:
- Business losses or missed opportunities
- Downtime or system unavailability
- Errors from external integrated systems
- Loss of data
- User negligence or security failures
15. GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION
- These Terms are governed by the Laws of Sierra Leone.
- Disputes may be resolved through:
- Administrative review under NPPA Regulations
- Arbitration mechanism
- Judicial processes in Sierra Leone courts