Government has called for efficiency and integrity in public procurement so as to guarantee sound public service delivery and maintain citizen’s trust in the public sector.
Speaking at the third National Procurement conference held in the capital on Thursday, Finance and Economic Development minister, Patrick Chinamasa said integrity in procurement entails avoiding undue influence, conflict of interest and corruption.
“Integrity in procurement entails avoiding undue influence, conflict of interest and corruption in public procurement.
“Section 16 of the Act is very specific on the responsibility of the procurement decision making in the public sector. It provides role clarity and mechanisms to limit authorities such as Ministers, Board Members, and councilors from influencing procurement decisions,” said Chinamasa.
He added that government is determined to create a transparent public procurement system in line with the dictates of the new dispensation that came with the fall of President Robert Mugabe in November 2017.
Chinamasa castigated corruption saying it is counter-productive as it prejudices the entire country of development opportunities across all sectors.
“As a country, we have learnt the hard way that corruption is counter-productive and tends to prejudice the entire country of development opportunities across all sectors.
“As such, we are determined to foster a transparent public procurement system in which every interested party has access to opportunities within the supply chain.
“In an era of fiscal austerity as is obtaining in your institutions, ensuring efficiency and integrity in public procurement are essential to guarantee sound public service delivery and maintain citizen’s trust in the public sector.
“In order to achieve this, there is, therefore, an urgent need to embrace this change and for everyone to help in fighting corruption within the National Procurement System,” added Chinamasa.
Meanwhile, Chinamasa applauded Buy Zimbabwe campaign for promoting local procurement of goods and services.
“As the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, l applaud the significant role that Buy Zimbabwe is playing in promoting procurement of goods and services so as to grow local business capacity and create employment.
“I am fully aware that Buy Zimbabwe has always been at the forefront of encouraging domestic wealth creation from inception,” said Chinamasa.
