PRAZ works on licensing practitioners
THE Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) is finalising modalities for licensing practitioners as it continues with efforts to professionalise public procurement, a top official has said.
PRAZ was established to oversee the implementation of the new procurement law, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDPA) Act (Chapter 22: 23).
The Act came into force in January this year.
The public procurement reforms were praised by the World Bank last week, saying they would “catalyse greater transparency and development”.
The World Bank, which supported the public procurement reforms to the tune of $2 million through the Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund, said “the Government of Zimbabwe has taken important steps to reform its public procurement system through a comprehensive and multi-faceted reform programme that should ultimately catalyse further development”. Asked if he was aware of the World Bank plaudits over the country’s procurement law, PRAZ chief executive officer Nyasha Chizu, told The Herald Business that they were humbled by the remarks.
Mr Chizu said the PPDPA Act, just like all other Acts on procurement from different jurisdictions, was based on the latest 2011 United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) model.
“In the development, there was some benchmarking to ensure international best practices were enshrined in the legislation,” said Mr Chizu.
“Our law is now clear as to the assignment of responsibilities in public procurement.
“The head of each procuring entity is now totally accountable for all their procurement decisions that they now make with the assistance of procurement management units established in terms of Section 17 of the PPDPA Act.
“The Act also provided a clear framework for dealing with undue influence by ministers and board members. The Act provided for professionalisation of public procurement in response to the principle issued by Cabinet to recognise the strategic role of the function in public service delivery.”
Mr Chizu added that the professionalisation of public procurement is one of the mandates of PRAZ, which is a shift from the situation prevalent in most jurisdictions.
“Professionalisation is mainly the responsibility of the private sector and enforcement in the public sector is therefore voluntary. The new framework has provided a code of conduct for public procurement officers that is mandatory.
“The authority is finalising modalities for licensing practitioners. This development shall enhance public confidence,” said Mr Chizu.
The PPDPA Act was further specific as to the alignment of procurement in public sector structures.
Procurement now reports directly to the head of every public entity that decides to establish a procurement management unit.
Mr Chizu also said the new law has provided that every procuring entity be licensed to operate a procurement management unit in line with Section 15.
This is designed to ensure that a certain level of public procurement standards are maintained.
Failure to uphold such standards leads to the withdrawal of such authorisation.
Mr Chizu said PRAZ’s emphasis is on setting standards, monitoring and evaluation of public procurement performance and where there is intense monitoring, performance in public sector contracts is expected to increase in contribution to the vision of President Mnangagwa of an upper middle income economy by 2030.
The World Bank said Zimbabwe has made strides, which include the adoption of modern public procurement regulations that define the legal, institutional, and procedural framework.
To ensure the proper implementation of the PPDPA Act, the World Bank supported the establishment of PRAZ, including a plan for developing quick wins during the first 100 days and a fiveyear Strategic Plan (2019-2023).
The plan identifies five objectives; improving public procurement effectiveness through targeted capacity building of market players, increasing competition of private sector in public markets, increasing value for money, increasing transparency and accountability in the public procurement processes, and guaranteeing an efficient regulatory function which promotes regulatory compliance.