CORRUPTION in the awarding of tenders will now be a thing of the past following the launch of the Electronic-Government Procurement (e-GP) system by President Mnangagwa yesterday.
The Electronic-Government Procurement system will minimise human involvement in the awarding of tenders and help tackle corruption.
An efficient and modern public procurement system which increases value for money, transparency and accountability while reducing pressure on the national budget can save as much as 30 percent for the fiscus.
This comes as the country is in a digitalisation overdrive by implementing policies and programmes that lay a strong digital foundation, which is key to realising the vision of an e-enabled Government.
The e-GP, which works by connecting various entities and processes through a centralised platform, will eliminate the need to manually carry out laborious, procurement-related tasks, exchanging supplier contracts and filling out supplier onboarding questionnaires.
Addressing guests at the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe Third Annual Procurement Conference in Harare yesterday, President Mnangagwa said while procurement issues tend to attract corrupt activities in the economy, such malpractices have no space in his Government.
“The Electronic Government Procurement system should therefore minimise human interface and assist in dealing with corruption issues associated with the procurement sector. Interactions in the system will be auditable and verifiable.
“The chicanery and shadowy award of contracts associated with our public tender processes must be put to an end. I, thus, challenge the procurement officials to be men and women of integrity,” he said.
“The cases related to irregular payments, poor corporate governance, opaqueness in the award of contracts, favouritism and diversion of funds, among others, will not be condoned.”
President Mnangagwa said the theme of this year’s conference, “Service Delivery Through Innovative Solutions”, is apt given the dynamic, ever-changing and highly digitalised environment people are living in, which makes it necessary to embrace science, technology and innovation in everything.
“This electronic Government Procurement System uses Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to enable a more efficient and transparent exchange of information, interactions as well as transactions between Government and suppliers of goods and services.
“Furthermore, it will improve financial accountability and transparency in procurement procedures, bring inclusivity by reaching remote areas, shorten the procurement cycle times as well as develop a common database,” he said.
The President said as people’s lives become more intertwined digitally, under the fourth industrial revolution, the provision of public services should also follow suit.
“The public sector should speedily implement digital solutions so that the citizenry can access more services online for their convenience.
“It is also my expectation that through the use of the system, previously marginalised institutions such as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, women and the youth will begin to play a more significant role in the procurement process, irrespective of their geographical location.”
President Mnangagwa said priority must be given to locally available products, services and solutions, in line with the local content strategy and in support of the innovations coming out of the country’s Innovation Hubs. Herald
