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Why abide by procurement principles?
Cornelia Sabiiti, PPDA executive director, addresses procurement professionals recently. FILE photo
What you need to know:
Joseph Bahingwire found out why such policies should be followed.
For any procurement process to be a success where all involved parties get value for money and deliver services as required, principles and policies in line with public procurement ought to be followed.
Cornelia Sabiiti, the executive director Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) advises procurement professionals to abide by the PPDA principles and policies that guide public procurement in Uganda.
Sabiiti says public procurement ensures service delivery of government objectives by linking public financial management to the government development agenda.
“The main objective of public procurement is to achieve the best value-for-money outcomes through processes that are transparent, efficient, facilitate equal access and promote open competition and innovation,”Sabiiti adds.
Such policies and rules should be made clear at the early stage of the procurement process through strategic procurement techniques such as market analysis, forward commitment, life cycle assessment and risk management among others to avoid project failures in the course of the project.
Sylvia Kirabo, the PPDA procurement officer, says the key principles of public procurement according to the PPDA Act are; economy, efficiency, competition and transparency.
“There should also be fairness or non-discrimination, accountability, ethics and integrity as well as equity,” she adds.
Promotion of procurement professionals is a strategic function within the Public Finance Management so all stakeholders are advised to e-engineer and adopt good practices to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in public procurement.
Kirabo says that once such policies and principles are followed there will be a great improvement in the country’s procurement sector as a whole.
She advises that good procurement teams are formed because they deliver good results.
“We need to recognise that unless buyers know what they are doing, no procurement process will lead to good outcomes,” she adds.
Writing tips
Evidence shows strength in depth, becomes a stricter requirement as the values of contracts go up. Recent related work in the form of case studies, testimonials and references come into play here, as do accreditations and awards.
A common mistake is to focus on features (what you do) rather than the benefit (how it helps the buyer). Don’t expect benefits to be self explanatory, whether it saves time, money or some other tangible benefit, ensure it is there!
