Enugu State Government advances its urban utility reform by opening competitive bids for 17,000 prepaid water meters and a modern customer service center under the AFD-funded project.
The Enugu State Government has advanced its urban infrastructure reform by initiating the procurement phase for 17,000 prepaid water meters. Driven by the administration of Executive Governor Dr. Peter Mbah, the project seeks to modernize utility billing, eliminate arbitrary estimated pricing, and significantly curb water wastage across the Enugu metropolis.
The competitive procurement exercise involves the supply and installation of prepaid connections alongside the design and deployment of a fully equipped Customer Service Centre-complete with modern software tools-for the Central Zone (Sub-Zone 2) of the Enugu State Water Corporation (ENSWC).
The introduction of Standard Transfer Specification (STS) compliant prepaid water meters targets several long-standing operational challenges within the state’s metropolitan water distribution network.
By transitioning to a prepaid structure, the Enugu State Water Corporation aims to build a self-sustaining utility model. Accurate metering ensures that revenue collection directly scales with consumption, providing the liquidity required to maintain treatment facilities, manage distribution pipelines, and respond promptly to network leaks.
The initiative is executed under the third National Urban Water Sector Reform Project, a capital-intensive utility modernization program backed by the French Development Agency (AFD).
Speaking at the formal bid-opening ceremony at the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) headquarters in Enugu, the Managing Director of the ENSWC, Engr. Dr. Mike C. Nwachukwu (represented by the Technical Assistant to the Governor on Water, Engr. Nzube Young), emphasized that precision metering is an essential baseline for operational sustainability rather than a mere technical upgrade.
To ensure absolute adherence to international public procurement standards, the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) adopted an open, un-prequalified tendering framework.
The project coordinator for the SPIU, Engr. Charles Eze, affirmed that all seven bidding firms were invited to physically witness the unsealing and recording of the tenders. This step complies with state transparency regulations and funding requirements set by international development partners.
Representatives from the competing firms, including Engr. Abel Chukwu of CWG Plc, validated the initial phase of the exercise, urging the evaluation committee to maintain strict neutrality as they review the technical capacities and financial models of the submissions. The selected contractor will handle customer enumeration, database synchronization, and physical pipeline connection alongside meter deployment over a 12-month construction window.
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