We’ll resolve procurement infractions – Bawumia

Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has reiterated government’s resolve to ensure that procurement infractions that occurred under Former President Mahama’s government never happens again.

According to him, public procurement has been strengthened with the inception of new structures such as the Due Diligence Unit, Procurement Audit Unit among others at the Procurement Authority to enhance value for money in all public sector transactions.

Speaking at a Special training session on the Public Procurement Act, Dr Bawumia urged public procurement officials to exhibit the highest standards of integrity.

“Over the years we have all been witnesses to how aspects of fiscal governance in the country has not been carried out with the expected discipline and dedication for good outcomes.

We have seen and heard of incidents of abuse of the procurement processes especially the reliance or the influence of sole sourcing.Sole sourcing is actually quite legal and there are circumstances under which it is necessary and it should not be abused.

I also wish to recognize the good work the Public Procurement Authority is doing especially in the introduction of the current interventions at the PPAs such as the establishment of the due diligence unit and the soon to be rolled out key government procurement system.”

Dr Bawumia in the run up to last year’s elections chastised the then Mahama Administration for allegedly ripping the State off through dubious sole-sourced contracts. He argued that, sole sourcing allowed corruption, and benefited a privileged few in the NDC government.

A few months after the New Patriotic Party took over the helm of affairs, Dr. Bawumia pledged to cut down on sole sourcing by introducing the public procurement act to ensure value for money.

MP calls for more power for procurement authority The Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament, Adwoa Safo, had earlier also called for the amendment of the public procurement act to give the Procurement Authority, the powers to conduct value for money auditing on sole-sourced projects.

She described as sad, revelations by the Auditor General’s annual reports that 80 percent of the procurement malpractices are centered on sole sourcing. “From 2012 to 2014 when I was on the public accounts committee, about 80% of their recommendations to parliament were procurement malpractices… So I think that if the law is there, you need also a policy direction.

And I think that, that is the first step that the president has given us in his state of the nation address.”