Procurement Procedures should be well understood

Accra, July3, GNA - Ms Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, on Wednesday said Public Procurement constituted about 75 per cent of all public expenditure and, therefore, procedures and documentation in procurement should be well understood, followed and implemented to ensure value for money.

The Deputy Minister said this at the Annual Seminar of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GIS), Quantity Surveying Division, in Accra under the theme: "Procurement of Works and Services: Procedures and Documentation."

She said it was very important that such keenness and understanding was achieved not only by Surveyors but other professionals such as Lawyers and Accountants.

Ms Dapaah said such procedures when well understood, could go a long way to help with national efforts to manage resources in a more sustainable way.

She observed that good governance and national development being strongly advocated by the Government could only be realised by ensuring transparency, fairness and competitiveness that strongly hinged upon the theme of the seminar.

"You are all too familiar with the persistent reports on the poor implementation of projects due to inflation which affected and inflated estimates."

Ms Dapaah said the Ministry would continue to collaborate with the GIS to re-examine the Ghana Government Conditions of Contract (Pink Form), Revision of the 1966 Standard Specifications, Estimating Codes and find ways of streamlining them for adoption and implementation. Mr Osei Asante, Chairman of the Quantity Surveying Division, observed that there were other forms of documentation, which must be put in place to ensure value for money in procurement works in general and services, in particular.

"We continue to depend on such documents prepared from Britain for Building Road Works and other Engineering Services." The Chairman said specifications were old ones, adding that with other stakeholders and research institutions as well as adequate funding, it was possible to come out with Ghana's Standard Specifications for both Civil and Building Works.

He said there was the need to establish "our guide" for estimating for both Civil and Building Works and noted that capacity building was at its lowest ebb and added that the Department was collaborating with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi to improve upon them.

"We can have a structural system in place for such capacity building including placing in our Procurement Documents for the engagement of a number of Ghanaian Professionals, Professional Societies and Associations vetting and admitting foreign professionals before they are allowed to practise in Ghana."

The seminar is intended to apprise members of the Division on practical approaches to Presentation of Expression of Interest, Preparation of Terms of Reference, Preparation and Submission of Technical and Financial Proposals and Procurement, Planning and Packaging. Others Pre-qualification Documentation, Bid Documentation and Tender Evaluation and Report Writing for both Works and Services.