APPLYING ETHICAL PRINCIPLES TO PROCUREMENT PROCESSES
PROFESSOR UNAISI NABOBO BABA, DEAN OF CHE/FNU SAID THAT ALL BUSINESS ENTITIES AND COMPANIES SHOULD ADOPT A CULTURE OF INTEGRITY FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR NATION. Transparency International notes that “in the context of public procurement, it means that la
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Avery proactive workshop was organised by the Ministry of Economy, CLCT Integrity Fiji and the College of Humanities and Education of the Fiji National University on March 25 at the Grand Pacific Hotel.
The Event brought together 50 vendors and suppliers engaged in Government procurements.
The workshop was funded by the Australian DFAT and New Zealand MFAT through Transparency International’s funding of CLCT Integrity Fiji.
Jofiliti Veikoso, Chair of CLCT Integrity Fiji, noted that, “Vendors, suppliers and agencies involved in procurements should be guided by the principles of integrity, transparency, accountability, fairness, efficiency and professionalism throughout the entire process.”
Professor Unaisi Nabobo Baba, Dean of CHE/FNU commended the Ministry of Economy for its proactive stance in expediting a Code of Conduct for vendors and suppliers who win Government tenders.
She said that all business entities and companies should adopt a culture of integrity for the betterment of our nation.
Transparency International notes that “in the context of public procurement, it means that laws, regulations, institutions, processes, plans and decisions are accessible to all potential bidders and the public at large. Transparency needs to pervade all steps in the procurement cycle, from the earliest decisions on needs assessments, developing a procurement plan and budget allocation, to bid evaluation, implementing the contracts and auditing performance.”
The Fiji Government is a major purchaser of goods and services and encourages the participation of all suppliers from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to large vendors.
The Ministry of Economy’s Procurement Office was established to provide advice and guidance to ensure that the procurement of goods, services and works are based on the principles of; a) Value for money; (b the ethical use of Government resources; (c) the promotion of open and fair competition among suppliers and contractors; (d) promotion of integrity, fairness and public confidence in the procurement process; and (e) achieving accountability and transparency in the procedures relating to procurement.
The Ministry of Economy provides clear guidelines and templates that vendors can use in the bidding process. They enable access to information on regulations that need to be understood and agreements that will have to be adhered to in the case of winning bids.
Accountability
Transparency International notes that Accountability means that governments (including government-owned/ controlled institutions), individual officials, and companies and their executives and agents must be accountable for the execution of their duties and for decisions and actions taken in their area of responsibility.
In June 2018, the Ministry of Economy set up the Government eTender portal to enable potential suppliers to get information on opportunities available with the government. Potential vendors can access the eTender portal on www.tenderlink.com/economyfiji/
To be part of the bidding process, suppliers need to register in the portal. There is an online registration facility. Although anyone can view the portal, only registered vendors will get email notifications of upcoming business opportunities and be able to respond online.
Fairness and Efficiency
Transparency International asserts that Government contracts that are awarded and implementation decisions should be fair and impartial. Standards and specifications must be non-discriminatory; suppliers and contractors should be selected on the basis of their qualifications and the technical and financial merits of their offers; there should be equal treatment of all bids, including equal provision of information, deadline-setting and confidentiality.
The Ministry of Economy allows registered suppliers to view information on current and closed offers and see details about awarded contracts. The Centre of Excellence Team’s task is to provide knowledge-based services to vendors/suppliers to drive efficiency, repeatability and best practice in government procurement.
Apart from process reviews, best practice implementation, and contract monitoring, they regularly conduct Procurement Training to promote procurement excellence across Government. Vendors/Suppliers are also encouraged to use the Team to raise Procurement Awareness amongst their staff.
Risk management strategies are Integrated into procurement processes
It should be noted that the Ministry of Economy mainly processes tenders over $50,000 in the eTender portal. Government Ministries and Departments handle smaller amounts by calling for quotations from vendors. Some procurements are handled through Expression of interest which is jointly administered by Ministries / Departments and the Procurement Office.
The Ministry of Economy is very strict in ensuring that Permanent Secretaries must ensure that all standing offer contracts executed by the Fiji Procurement Office on behalf of Government pursuant to Procurement Regulations 35 sub regulations (1) and (2) are complied with at all times.
Conclusion
The proactive partnership between the Ministry of Economy, the College of Humanities of the Fiji National University and CLCT Integrity Fiji / Transparency International, augers well for the promotion of transparent and accountable processes amongst vendors and suppliers involved in Government procurements.