01 Nov 2020

Public works oversight is a critical part of a  development trajectory, which requires enhanced controls to be in place to improve monitoring and compliance to standards.

This came to the fore during signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Engineers Registration Board (ERB) and the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) in Gaborone on October 30.

Emphasis was also put on rationalisation of agreements to enhance welfare of community funds in public works.

PPADB executive chairperson, Mr Elijah Motshedi, said the MoU would help provide transparency in tendering and bidding communities who take up the procurement and implementation of public works.

He said engineers played a significant role in public procurement since they were main players in implementation of public works, noting that the MoU would thus avail a seamless flow of information of registered contractors.

Mr Motshedi added that the MoU signing with ERB as with the five other collaborative MoUs signed with different organisations was an effort by the PPADB to attain high levels of professionalism and standards.

He further described ERB’s mandate of registering engineers as being aligned with PPADB’s role in registering contractors including those that carried out engineering projects and related tender issues.

The two signatories were both in agreement that the relationship would improve procurement procedures thus increasing compliance to the act and reduce tender related complaints with the upside of improving timely projects and service delivery.

ERB registrar, Mr Dennis Olaotse, also acknowledged importance of the MoU as being critical to the enhancement of ethics and conduct in the engineering industry.

He said the networks provided by such agreement had the potential to improve monitoring and collaborative intent of organisations in disbursing their mandates.

He added that the MoU would allow for an environment where consultative dialogue ad information sharing could be forged to ease monitoring and compliance in parastatal duties. ENDS