Tanzania: 460 Institutions Ordered to Submit Names of Procurement Officers

By James Kamala

AT least 460 public institutions have been ordered to submit the number of registered procurement officers who work in their offices to the respective authorities for

verification.

Procurement and Supplies Professionals and Technicians Board (PSPTB), Executive Director, Mr Godfrey Mbanyi said whoever works in the procurement sector must hold qualified certificates as required by the law.

He said the move aims at making sure there are no qualified procurement officers in the public institutions who handle government procurement documents.

"Those who will not submit number and names of procurement officers in their offices risk to be punished as per the law of the land," he warned.

He added: "It is illegal for unprofessional person to carry out procurement activities."

He said that the law directs that concerned authorities had to hand names of procurement officers and their qualifications to PSPTB alongside with their annual procurement volume so that the board can determine staff shortage and supervise procurement ethics to avoid faults.

"PSPTB therefore is informing all remaining 460 public bodies to submit the names and annual procurement volumes to the board before January 31, 2020, this is a legal requirement that must be adhered to," he said.

He said that so far only 122 public institutions have responded and that the remaining 460 have neither submitted the required documents nor served his office with excuse letters.

Mr Mbanyi explained that apart from being against the law, having unqualified and unrecognised procurement officials handling procurement works in regional, district authorities, government agencies and institutions may lead to public fund embezzlement, corruption and loss of public funds.