04 Aug 2019

The Chattered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) has awarded the Public procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) the procurement excellence certification, making it the first in southern Africa and fourth in Africa to receive such an award.

Speaking at an award conferment ceremony on August 2, PPADB acting Executive Chairperson of PPADB Mr Elijah Motshedi said the recognition demonstrated the organisation’s continued determination to uphold integrity and professionalism.

The certification, he said, also solidified PPADB’s observance and strict adherence to the highest possible standards in the adjudication and award of government tenders including the facilitation of project implementation to yield value for money.

“We take the CIPS professionalisation seriously as this will further regulate the conduct of professionals and ensure they are trained in the provision of procurement services across the country,” he said.

He urged PPADB employees to realise that the certification was not easy to achieve and that it would be even harder to maintain it.

Mr Motshedi said the board would continue to innovate and create solutions, adopt and align to best practices, introduce procurement reforms as well as maintain high quality tailored procurement support services viable for Botswana’s economic development agenda.

He revealed that PPADB had proposed a provision for registration of procurement professionals in the draft PPAD Bill envisaged to be presented to Parliament this financial year. 

According to Mr Motshedi, the proposed regulation of the profession was meant to ensure that procurement was undertaken by people with appropriate qualifications in public procurement and supply chain management.

Noting that procurement was a strategic function in every organisation, he said it was costly if overlooked but when harnessed right, it was a cost saving function that facilitated the smooth delivery of works, services and production of goods.

He encouraged other procurement bodies in the country to adopt and implement the best practices adopted by PPADB for the betterment of procurement systems that inspire public confidence. Ends