Shun procurement corruption — Praz
BUSINESSES must shun procurement corruption by embracing transparency and adhering to set regulations, which is critical for weeding out graft from across the country, the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Praz) has said.
Speaking at the inaugural National Economic Policy Dialogue meeting organised by the Zimbabwe Institute of Strategic Thinking (Zist) in Victoria Falls on Wednesday, Praz chief executive, Mr Clever Ruswa, said forward pricing was one of the major negative reactionary problems in the country’s procurement.
His sentiments followed concerns by participants drawn from the private sector, Government departments, and financial institutions, who expressed concern that because of the volatile economic environment, quotations were now valid for a few hours, which makes procurement difficult.
Participants said procurement was no longer sustainable in a volatile exchange environment and wanted to know what Praz was doing to address the challenges.
Others noted that because of the exchange rates movement, many people and businesses were dumping the local currency on local authorities and other service providers. In response, Mr Ruswa said specific timelines are given especially to local authorities when procurement processes are being done. “When it comes to procurement issues let’s not be reactionary. Let’s engage. We are there to give factual advice so that we don’t do things wrongly,” he said.
“You should make your procurement processes known to your key stakeholders so that we avoid and minimise corruption.”
Speaking at the same platform, economic analyst Mr Eddie Cross who was part of the participants commended Praz for leading by example in upholding transparency and becoming one of the few organisations that are not tainted by corruption in its operations. The conference was organised by Zist with the objective of bringing under one roof, various stakeholders to discuss potential solutions to Zimbabwe’s challenges.
Zist chief executive Dr Eric Muzamhindo said the role of the private sector is critical in fighting corruption and driving the country towards successful implementation of the National Development Strategy (NDS1).
He said there was a need for a push from the private sector and all stakeholders participation in the economy, which in turn helps reduce corruption. He said Zist was in support of Vision 2030 through proffering solutions to the prevailing challenges including corruption.
The conference ends today.
-chronicles
