The Government has commended the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) workers for serving the public with dedication and patriotism, TPJ has learnt.

This came to light in the remarks of the Deputy Minister for Finance and Planning, Hamad Chande during the official opening of PPRA Workers Council meeting, which was held recently in Dodoma.

The minister cited building of the National e-Procurement System of Tanzania (NeST) as one of the tangible products of their dedicated service and which has brought much pride to the Authority and to the country.

“One of the biggest achievements that we are all proud of, is the e-procurement system, NeST, which has been built from scratch by our fellow Tanzanians who undertook the task that was entrusted to them with great patriotism and dedication,” he said and directed PPRA to ensure its security while working hard towards its widespread use by all procuring entities.

“If you face any financial constraints in carrying out this task, please reach out to the ministry as soon as possible,” said Mr. Chande.

The deputy minister also commended the Authority for saving public funds by intervening in procurement processes on discovering that they would not attain value for money and directed it to ensure that recommendations that emanate from audits were implemented by relevant procuring entities.

“I was happy to learn from your Annual Performance Evaluation Report of the last financial year, that sometimes you intervene in the procurement process like a true watchdog that barks now and stops a thief rather than later after they have stolen and left the scene,” he said.  

Furthermore, Mr. Chande noted with satisfaction that PPRA was constructing its own office building which, he said, would lead to a better working environment, which is essential for efficient implementation of the Authority’s functions. 

He said now, more than ever, the Government is so keen to make procurement law friendlier to all stakeholders including investors, tenderers and procuring entities, that it has drafted relevant amendments to it and went on to urge PPRA to intensify training on public procurement law, e-procurement systems and audits in an effort to assure attainment of value for money.

Mr. Chande advised the workers to be happy and grateful about their remunerations while avoiding corrupt acts.

“The country depends much on you to ensure the huge budget used in procurement is safe and attain value for money, therefore I urge you to work hard and embrace integrity all the time,” he said.