29 Mar 2017

There is need for continuous improvement in the public procurement system to achieve greater efficiency, accountability and transparency, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Kenneth Matambo, has said.
Officiating at the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board’s (PPADB) national stakeholders consultative conference on March 28,  Mr Matambo said his ministry was responsible for driving the country’s public finance reforms, and that procurement was an important aspect of that agenda. In managing public expenditure, he said the ministry also relied on a sound procurement system.
The minister also noted that public procurement and asset disposal was crucial in the overall management of the economy.
Mr Matambo commended PPADB for organising the conference, saying it was crucial as it provided a platform to interact with its stakeholders and like-minded institutions, and to share ideas on how public procurement could be sharpened to deliver better outcomes.
“Speed, competence, transparency, accountability and integrity are some of the important ingredients of a procurement system that inspires public confidence and delivers on government’s wider policy objectives,” said Mr Matambo.
The role of PPAD in managing public procurement and asset disposal, the minister said, was also pivotal in facilitating project implementation and optimal budget utilisation in government.
“It is thus important that the public procurement system should continue to be evaluated for efficiency, effectiveness and transparency in order to ensure timely service delivery,” he added.
Furthermore, the finance and economic development minister called upon procuring entities to desist from treating procurement as a mundane clerical function, but instead to fully embrace it as a strategic enabler in the execution of their core mandate and a facilitator of good governance in their day-to-day service to the nation.
He also pleaded with the contracting community to deliver projects on time, within cost and to the expected quality.
In his welcome remarks, PPADB executive director of supplies, Mr Ken Ketshajwang said public procurement and asset disposal across the world was evolving, and that it was crucial for Botswana to ensure that its public procurement system was in line with good international practices.
In 2012, Mr Ketshajwang said the board called a similar conference to consult on how to reform public procurement. At the time, he said Tanzania was invited to share its public procurement experiences with Botswana.
“Stakeholders at the conference concurred that separating implementation from oversight would improve adherence to the law and accountability in the public procurement,” he added.
Following the consultations, Mr  Ketshajwang said a working document was developed and discussed with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. “We are seeking input at this stage before the working document is progressed further,” said Mr Ketshajwang.
Presenting on how the public procurement system worked in Mauritius, Mauritius’s procurement policy office member, Mr Sacheedanad Tahalooa said the key feature of an effective procurement system was the existence of mechanisms to monitor that rules were followed and to enforce them if necessary.
For his part, Kenya’s Public Procurement Regulatory Authority director general, Mr Maurice Juma said procurement was not only about buying and selling, but about the prudent management of resources.
Mr Juma encouraged participants to come up with constructive criticism, saying the bill on proposed amendments to the PPAD Act that would be presented to Parliament during the July/August 2017 sitting required their input.
“Don’t blame the board after the bill has been presented. This is that time that your input is required. Constructive criticism, not only asking questions,” he said.
“We need to move together in the same direction by coming up with recommendations that could improve the way procurement process had been carried out here. This is a continuous process and a journey that we have to walk along, all of us, in the same direction. Let’s not go separate ways and then start blaming each other,” he added.
The conference was meant to reflect on the procurement system in Botswana and share with stakeholders the proposed amendments to the Public Procurement Asset Disposal Act aimed at improving efficiency and accountability.
ENDS