The Sunday Mail
Nyasha Chizu
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) at the Harare International Conference Centre recently. The launch of PRAZ is meant to see efficiency in the State procurement processes. Our Reporter Carren Mushonga spoke to PRAZ chief executive officer Mr Nyasha Chizu on the sidelines of the event. We publish Mr Chizu’s responses in his own words.
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The new regulations on procurement are guided by the provisions in the Zimbabwe Constitution particularly section 315, which require that we adjust our procurement laws.
This will suit the new dispensation’s drive towards efficiency, fairness and transparency in public procurement
In 2010, the World Bank sponsored a country integration judiciary assessment, which looked into national public financial systems and public procurement management systems.
The exercise saw us being rated at 44 percent, in terms of national procurement management, which is way below standard.
This prompted that we review our procurement laws.
With the review of the laws, we expect our Government departments and State entities to adhere to the regulations.
We have seen quite a bit of movement, from the targeted institutions, in adhering to the procurement laws.
But one thing that these laws seek to promote is professionalism in the procurement process, which was a challenge for most entities.
The rush we have seen for hiring procurement officers ever since the announcement of the new laws, is in line with the requirement of the Act that every entity should establish a procuring management unit with people who are qualified.
So this shows a positive response to the new regulatory rules.
We are still working on the procurement regulations; and as people heard, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said, at the launch of PRAZ, that he will be giving us the power to deal with those individuals in Government ministries, departments and State entities who would have not followed the procurement rules.
Now that PRAZ has been launched, we have the power to deal with entities that would have gone against our regulations.
Bidding and complementary rigging should be a thing of the past as we now expect every public and private sector to follow the new regulations.
These regulations are also in line with the Transitional Stabilisation Programme.
If you look at the Transitional Stabilisation Programme, it dovetails with our mandate.
We are saying there should be good governance when the private sector is engaging with the public sector to acquire the necessary goods and services to provide to the public.
There is need for that process to be done in a manner that is fair.
According to the dictates of our Vision 2030, we want to create an efficient PRAZ, which is in line with the whole procurement circle.
We want the process, from planning through to tendering contract management and assets disposal to be done in a free and fair manner.
We are a recognised entity by the State and our Government supports us to attain our vision for an efficient and effective public procurement system.
