PRAZ signs MoU deal with Zimpost
THE Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the postal services provider Zimpost in a development aime at enhancing a proficient and transparent public procurement system in the country.
In terms of the arrangement, PRAZ will ride on Zimpost’s extensive infrastructure that spans across the entire country for accessibility of the authority’s services countrywide. Zimpost has over 240 post offices, 146 community information centres (CICs), and 23 containerised village information centres (CVICs), which are supported by a pool of 11
mobile post offices.
The collaboration between the two entities, codenamed “Promoting the use of Community information Centres to enhance Ease of Doing Business in Public Procurement”, will promote efficient, fair, and competitive public procurement system in Zimbabwe.
Parties to deal said the arrangement would be operationalized immediately since infrastructure and logistics were already in place to begin the implementation of the arrangement.
The arrangement will see bidders using the community information centres to register and renew their registrations with PRAZ as well as facilitate submission of tender documents and any other relevant PRAZ materials or documents throughout ZIMPOST outlets countrywide.
PRAZ chief executive Clever Ruswa said the objective of the arrangement was to avail services to the authority’s clients throughout the country using Zimpost’s community information centres.
“PRAZ engaged Zimpost with the main objective being for PRAZ clients spread throughout the country to be able to use Zimpost’s offices and Community Information Centres (CICs) to get onto the internet and access PRAZ services through the PRAZ portal initially. This will further be enhanced to allow for payment collections after systems integrations are completed
“This can be achieved with the use of Information Communication and Technologies which are not only meant for bridging the information gap but they are also key enablers of economic development strategies for universal access to be attained by 2030 as outlined in the National Development Strategy (NDS) 1,” said Mr Ruswa.
Zimpost’s Acting postmaster general Isaac Muchokomori said the collaboration would present an opportunity to implement the ease of doing business in terms of public procurement. He also implored other Government departments to make use of the Zimpost’s facilities whenever the need arose.
“Through the CICs and CVICs, PRAZ services can easily be accessed down to the village or local points levels, making increased accessibility to every citizen who wants to participate in the National Procurement Value Chain.
“ZIMPOST is excited that it will immediately add value to the PRAZ procurement Value Chain and would like to invite all other Government Departments to come on board, for the ease delivery of E-Government services to all corners of the country.
“It is our greatest desire to see a One-Stop-Government Services through the use of octopus Zimpost phygital infrastructure,” said Dr Muchokomori.
The initiative will also avail PRAZ online and offline content through the Community information centres using ZIMPOST’s integrated Postal system for the provision of online procurement services.
PRAZ has been conducting its operations in Harare since its inception in 2018, a situation that saw bidders situated remotely across the country travelling to Harare to drop and register bids despite the online registration system introduction in 2019.-The Herald
