16 Oct 2017

Deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Ms Boikhutso Botlhole has urged stakeholders of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) to continue carrying out their responsibilities with due diligence.

Speaking at the official opening of the northern region district tender committee workshop, Ms Botlhole explained that the workshop was an opportunity to familiarise and sensitise stakeholders on the importance of public procurement as the key driver in government efforts to empower Batswana through initiatives such as the Economic Diversification Drive and Local Procurement Scheme.

She noted that with respect to issues of integrity and ethical conduct, stakeholders were expected to conduct their official and private lives in a manner that would not call into question their impartially and incorruptability.

This, she said, was because their task of adjudicating government resources brought higher obligations on their conduct, hence the need to resist corrupt practices and deliver clean tenders.

She also commended PPADB for training procuring entities and district tender committees on the Integrated Procurement Management System (IPMS) which was envisaged to make the procurement process efficient, fast and secure.

She also noted that they were aware of the impediments that the new system faced, adding that as an alien model it resulted in suspicion and discomfort from users.

Ms Botlhole also highlighted that the system was faced with poor network issues, lack of training and knowledge and lack of technology infrastructure.

She, however, implored stakeholders to embrace change and to show commitment to government’s electronic initiatives because the world has gone online.

This, she added, called for the need to adapt to the new system to remain competitive in the global economy.

She said considerable resources should be used to train officers and urged stakeholders to take advantage of the training because the economic environment was technologically driven.

For her part, the executive director of PPADB, Mr Kgakgamalo Ketshajwang said it was vital for the District Administration Tender Committees (DATC) to remain independent and free from any undue influence or pressure in conducting their work.

He acknowledged that there were conflicting interests in tenders and that some businesses that lost tenders might attribute that to corruption, hence DATC’S should encourage their procuring entities to de-brief losing bidders to address their shortfalls.

He also explained that the PPADB hosts workshops to interact with stakeholders to address emerging issues and to improve their effectiveness and provide an opportunity to identify gaps for capacity of building tenders.

Mr Ketshajwang said in their quest to promote transparency and effectiveness in the public procurement system, the board has developed a whistle blowing policy which was being implemented through a third party anonymous service.

He said they had learnt from the DCEC that they had a number of reports alleging corruption, particularly in relation to micro-procurement and urged stakeholders to be vigilant.

He also encouraged stakeholders to continue working hard to ensure that “public procurement is conducted well and principles of competition are fair.” ENDS