Ministers drills CEO of Public Procurement Act

Accra, Aug. 19, GNA - Some Ministers of State who attended a day's workshop on the Public Procurement Act, (Act 663) in Accra on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction about the number of deficiencies in the act. The ministers who were led by Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Communications therefore drilled Mr A. B. Adjei, Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) who was the facilitator of the workshop.

The ministers, include Ms Hannah Tetteh; Minister of Trade and Industry, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu; Minister of Justice and Attorney General and Dr Benjamin Kumbour, Deputy Minister of Health. They listed some of the deficiencies as the ambiguity in the composition of the membership of the Public Procurement Board and the mandate of procurement entities and tender committees. They also raised objection about the operational description of goods, works and services, the modalities for single-source procurement, provision of tender documents, language of tenders, period of validity of tenders, modification and withdrawal of tenders and procedure for acceptance of tender and entry into force of procurement contract. The Ministers also criticised the criteria for the evaluation of proposals, reviewing of the mandate of the procurement entity, setting of threshold levels, oversight responsibility of ministers, district chief executives and head of governance Institutions over procurement contracts.

Speaking on the Act, Mr Adjei reminded the ministers that the procurement Act applies to central management agencies, government ministries, departments and agencies, subvented agencies, governance institutions and state- owned enterprises. Other institutions captured are public schools, hospitals, the Bank of Ghana and other financial institutions such as public trusts, pension funds, insurance companies and building societies. The act also cover institutions, which are wholly- owned by the State or in which the State has majority interest and those established by Government for the general welfare of the public. Mr Adjei said the act provided for public procurement, administrative and institutional arrangements for procurement and stipulated tendering procedures.

The PPA Board is to monitor and supervise public procurement and ensure compliance with statutory requirements, have the right to obtain information concerning public procurement from contracting authorities, establish and implement an information system relating to public procurement.

The PPA is also mandated to publish a monthly Public Procurement Bulletin, which shall contain information germane to public procurement, including proposed procurement notices, notices of invitation to tender and contract award information, assess the operations of the public procurement processes and submit proposals for improvement of the processes.

The Board has the authority to present annual reports to the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning on the public procurement processes, facilitate the training of public officials involved in public procurement at various levels, develop, promote and support the training and professional development of persons engaged in public procurement, and ensure adherence to ethical standards.