ZIMBABWE’S public tender system may be headed for its biggest shake-up in years after lawmakers pushed for the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) to overhaul how government contracts are awarded — a process long criticised for delays, inflated costs amid allegations of corruption.
In a heated but broadly supportive debate in the National Assembly last week, MPs argued that the current manual procurement system has become too slow, vulnerable and expensive for a country trying to stretch every public dollar.
The motion, introduced by Discent Bajila and seconded by Darlington Chigumbu, calls on the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Praz) together with the Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion ministry to adopt AI-assisted systems in evaluating government tenders.
The proposal does not remove humans from the process, but seeks to reduce what MPs described as “room for manipulation” by introducing data-driven decision-making to one of government’s most sensitive functions.
Bajila told Parliament that procurement sits at the centre of national development — but also at the centre of controversy.
“Roads, hospitals, schools — all of it depends on procurement. But too often, we see inflated costs, delayed projects and questions about how decisions are made,” he said.
“AI can help us to make decisions based on evidence, not influence.”
Across the chamber, MPs from both government and opposition benches largely agreed on one thing: the current system is under strain.
Lawmakers pointed to recurring complaints about overpriced contracts, unfinished infrastructure projects and tender awards that raise more questions than answers.
Zaka South MP Clemence Chiduwa said Zimbabwe was moving towards digital governance and procurement must not be left behind.
He argued that AI can drastically cut the time taken to evaluate bids, while improving transparency by automatically flagging missing documents, compliance issues and abnormal pricing patterns.
But it was not just about speed.
Prosper Mutseyami warned that procurement decisions ultimately determine whether public money delivers real development — or disappears into inefficiency.
“When procurement fails, development fails,” he said.
“We see unfinished roads, delayed clinics and projects that never reflect value for money.”
Some MPs described a system where delays and human discretion have created fertile ground for abuse, with contracts sometimes awarded at highly inflated prices or to companies with questionable capacity.
Under the proposed AI system, procurement decisions will be guided by structured data — including company history, pricing benchmarks, compliance records and past performance — reducing reliance on manual scoring and subjective judgement.
But lawmakers were also quick to stress that AI is not a silver bullet.
Concerns were raised about data quality, cyber security risks and the possibility that biased or poor-quality data can produce flawed outcomes.
Others warned that technology without strong oversight can simply shift, rather than solve, existing problems.
Vimbayi Mutokonyi said reform must be backed by legislation, funding and skills development if it were to succeed.
“The technology is only as good as the data and systems behind it,” he noted, adding that procurement law needed to evolve alongside digital reforms.
Despite the caution, momentum in the House was clearly in favour of change.
Several MPs argued that Zimbabwe cannot continue relying on slow, paper-heavy systems in an era where other countries are already using AI to detect fraud, compare pricing in real time and track contractor performance.
If adopted, the reforms requires Praz to regularly report to Parliament on how AI is improving transparency, efficiency and value for money — or where it is failing.
The debate was adjourned, with lawmakers waiting for a ministerial response before the motion is finalised.-newsday
