Online Reporter
Sikhulekelani Moyo, Zimpapers Business Hub
THE Special Procurement Oversight Committee (Spoc) has saved the Government US$21 million since last year, a senior official has revealed, through its review of sensitive and high-value public procurement transactions prior to execution.
In the second quarter of this year alone, the committee saved the Government approximately US$14 million, demonstrating the effectiveness and benefits of the Government’s value-for-money audits.
Spoc is an oversight body established under the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, operating under the auspices of the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Praz).
The committee is tasked with scrutinising sensitive, high-value and exempted contracts, as outlined in Section 52 (2) of the Act.
Zimbabwe introduced value-for-money audits to promote transparency, accountability and efficiency in public spending and resource management, with the aim of improving service delivery and governance, by ensuring public funds are used effectively to benefit citizens.
Speaking during the Public Procurement Second Media Training Workshop held in Kadoma this week, Praz operations manager Mrs Tinotenda Chipangura said the “sensitive contracts” involved transactions of national interest.
This includes particularly valuable contracts that exceed the thresholds a procuring entity may approve without first obtaining clearance from the oversight committee.
“Spoc enforces value for money as strategic alignment with national development goals,” said Mrs Chipangura.
“I’m pleased to inform you that, as of last year, Spoc deliberations resulted in total savings of at least US$21 million.
Additionally, during the second quarter of this year, savings amounted to US$14 million.”
Spoc also safeguards transparency, integrity, and accountability in high-value, strategic, or sensitive procurements, ensuring that all processes, procedures and formalities comply with relevant legislation.
It ensures conformity with the applicable provisions of the Public Finance Management Act (Chapter: 22:19) and any other enactments that secure public and financial accountability.
The committee also ensures that the objectives of public procurement, as stated under Section 4 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, are upheld in relation to proposed awards.
According to official data, over the past six years, Praz has achieved significant milestones, including sensitising more than 12 000 procurement officers and bidders, reviewing over 7 500 special procurements through Spoc, conducting more than 300 institutional visits, generating over 30 000 regular reports for procuring entities and processing more than 100 appeal cases.
Spoc upholds the integrity of public procurement and protects public funds from mismanagement.
It also supports strategic national projects through rigorous scrutiny and promotes investor and public confidence in the procurement process.
In addition, Spoc helps reduce procurement-related litigation by ensuring procedural compliance and identifying areas where procurement practitioners may require further training.
