Director of Public Procurement, Bright Mangulama has urged the media in the country to explore ways and means of reporting public procurement issues in a manner that would facilitate the general public’s understanding of the intricacies and processes of public procurement.

Mangulama made this statement when he opened a day long workshop in Mangochi on Friday 4 April 2008 on public procurement reporting for editors and business reporters drawn from all media houses in the country.

Mangulama observed that reporters can didactically simplify procurement issues which most people regard as too technical to be understood by lay men.

“As people who are placed in an advantageous position to teach your respective audiences, I am looking forward to a day when I will, for example, read a feature or listen to a simplified documentary of a bidding process or contract management aimed at helping your audience to understand that procurement does not end with sourcing the required goods, works or services but goes further to managing how the engaged supplier/contractor will complete his/her contractual obligation”, he stressed.

Mangulama further observed that most attempts the media has made to cover procurement issues have ended up with partial coverage leaving a lot more issues that could have been beneficial to the public.

“We have read/listened to stories that could have explored failures of contract management by various procuring entities but writers only focused on just a portion of the entire news picture”.  He further hoped that with the training his Office had organised with financial support from the UNDP the media would improve in their coverage and understanding of procurement issues.

The workshop attracted about 40 editors and business reporters and was facilitated by ODPP officials, seasoned media resource persons and representatives of the procuring entities and business community.

Click HERE to read the Director's speech.

Under the new order, public procurement can hardly be carried out haphazardly. It has to be planned.  Just like procuring entities carry out budget estimates and submit to relevant authorities to ensure that available financial resources are committed to prioritised activities, procurement undertakings are not a dreamt - of endeavours. Planning is of essence if the goods, works or services to be procured are to be of the right quality, right quantity, right price, delivered at the right time, from the right source and to the right recipients.
This is why ODPP is making every effort to ensure that procuring entities understand the need to plan their procurement undertakings. Other institutions have already started complying with this requirement. What is your institution doing? Just have a look at what the Ministry of Industry and Trade through its BESTAP Project is doing-CLICK HERE