Zimbabwe steps up efforts to enhance public procurement systems

Judith Phiri, Business Reporter

WITH Zimbabwe stepping up efforts to professionalise procurement practitioners, a Procurement Professionals Council of Zimbabwe (PPCZ) will be set up to oversee membership and licensing.

The development comes amid ongoing transformation in public procurement, as the profession is increasingly expected to deliver strategic and sustainable value-for-money outcomes that align with the Government’s priorities.

Speaking during a webinar on Professionalisation of Public Procurement- Challenges and Opportunities on Thursday, Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) Capacity Building director, Mr Cliff Gondo said the PPCZ will play a critical role.

“We are thinking of a system that recognises student members, practitioners, retired practitioners and so on. This is also now encompassed in the proposed regulations to formalise professionalisation and these regulations are currently awaiting gazetting,” he said.

“As you know the legal process is quite lengthy, but that has also allowed us to do consultations. As a regulator, we are very committed to ensuring that these see the light of day and we hope that it will also result in the establishment of the PPCZ. The names may change, but this is the one that has been suggested in the current regulations.”

He said PPCZ will develop the procurement profession through education and enforcement, while its functions and powers will include registering procurement professionals, accrediting tuition providers and consultants.

Mr Gondo said it will also enforce procurement education and certification standards.

“PPCZ’s awareness activities will be organising conferences, workshops, exhibitions, and trade fairs. They will also publish brochures, journals and periodicals among other things,” he said.

He said the reform of the Public Procurement Legal Framework culminated in the decentralisation of the procurement function through the creation of over 350 procurement management units (PMUs).

Mr Gondo said there was a key shift from clerical tasks to a recognised professional discipline.

“Over 350 Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are now equipped with functional PMUs. There are decentralisation efforts in place with the Ministry of Health Child Care as well as the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education which is expected to create more PMUs,” he said.

Mr Gondo said other key drivers of procurement professionalisation include training beyond degrees with emphasis on skills and certification for competency.

Mr Gondo said it was important to regulate behaviour in procurement proceedings and in Zimbabwe all officers involved in procurement must sign a declaration to abide by the code.

“Key provisions require fair and transparent procurement practices, mandates accountability and compliance, minimum qualifications and training, prevention of conflicts of interest, declaration of interests in procurement cases as well as prohibition of collusion during bidding.”

In terms of professionalisation of public procurement challenges, he said it was a young profession which was facing growing pains as well as resource and capacity constraints.

Mr Gondo said the opportunities were enhanced integrity and transparency by getting rid of the bad boy image and better economic outcomes through professional procurement practices.

He added: “In conclusion, professionalisation marks a milestone in Zimbabwe’s public sector reform. Implementation of PPCZ and robust ethical frameworks are critical as it will be alignment with Vision 2030 target of transparent and efficient procurement systems for an upper-middle-income nation.”

The webinar was hosted by the African Public Procurement Network (APPN) and the Regional Advisory Committee of Procurement (RACOP). The session targeted Anglophone member countries on a crucial discussion on elevating standards, enhancing efficiency, and addressing critical challenges within public procurement frameworks across the continent.

Zimbabwe is the current chair of the APPN, having been nominated last year. APPN is an association that brings together the structures in charge of public procurement in 46 African countries.

It was created in 2018, in Lomé, Togo where it is headquartered. The main objective of APPN is to promote development and regional integration through active co-operation between its members with a view to improving public procurement.

To achieve this goal, the network has become a regular and sustainable learning and networking platform for its members.