Please, your truthful and unbiased advice is urgently needed on the issue below:

I was privileged to win a proposal for a project. In the budget I submitted to purchase some equipment, I stated some amount, which was correct, even though I got that estimate online. Now, after the approval of the budget, all effort to get the equipment or a comparable one (the one with the same configuration or price) has proved abortive. The ones I got are far beyond budget.

Now, the one someone is offering me now is N400, 000 (four hundred thousand naira) less than my budget and whatever money that's is not spent must be returned. In the proposal, there's no room for any personal emoluments or compensation.

Question: Will it be right for me to include some items under this purchase to be covered by the extra money left (about half)?

The second question is :supposing I have the options of traveling and even sleeping over to do my purchase or sending the item but paying for the transport, will it be proper to take the extra money I would have spent going myself, feeding and probably sleeping over in hotel?

Your candid and godly advice will be highly appreciated. Please no room for abuse, if you don't have anything to say, it is not compulsory to type, besides am only asking for advice and not as if I have spent the money.

Thanks

I do not know but I am guessing that this is your first time of winning a proposal. Being your first time, you would want to create a record of history, trust and credibility for yourself for future recommendations for project. Starting off, as a first timer, with a not-so-good record affects your chances for recommendation in the future.

I recommend that you be honest with the purchase. If you cannot find a purchase of the exact amount you were initially given the money for, but you're able to buy one of lesser amount which is still of durable quality, then buy the item, and declare the actual amount you bought it for. Next, return or declare the remaining balance left.

If you have to travel and spend a night at a hotel somewhere to purchase the item, you do that. What matters the most is service delivery. By service delivery I mean being able to deliver the item you are asked to purchase without much fanfare of excuses. You will have to factor in transportation cost and hotel bills you incurred in buying the item to the amount of the item you purchased. It is a cost incurred in service delivery and is only proper that you take account of it.

My main advice to you, as an upcoming project investor, is to make honesty your watchword. It will help open more doors and opportunities in the future. It is the same virtue of honesty that paved way for late Mrs Dora Nkem Akunyili to become the director of NAFDAC years later. When she returned the money given to her for surgery and check-up abroad back to the treasury of PTF in 1998, little did she know what the little act of honesty she performed would do for her years later in 2001. When Obasanjo wanted to appoint a director of NAFDAC, he needed someone who was honest and when he asked for an honest Nigerian, Dora Nkem was immediately recommended and made director by virtue of her honesty. Do not forget that at that time there were also other credible well-qualified candidates, with even better track records of achievement that could have been appointed, but Obasanjo was simply looking for an honest person and the honesty of Dora spoke for her and stood her out.

As you and I know, honesty is a virtue lacking in many Nigerians generally, and if you stand yourself out from the crowd, you'll be valued dearly for it.

Thank you for taking time to reply. Having discussed the issue with my wife(thank God for her life) she also suggested that I should not use the extra for personal purchase.

Once again, thank you