Story by Lisa Masuku-Kurira
THE Electronic Government Procurement System (EGP) is reshaping the public sector by opening doors for historically disadvantaged groups to participate in public procurement.
The fifth edition of the Annual Public Procurement Symposium, which commenced at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition and Conference Smart City in Bulawayo this Wednesday, has shone the spotlight on how public procurement is proving to be a national tool for promoting the growth of local businesses.
Through domestic preference and affirmative procurement, previously underrepresented businesses, especially Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) run by women, youths, and people with disabilities, are securing government contracts that were once out of their reach.
Delegates say that when procurement empowers local contractors, it keeps money circulating in communities and creates jobs.
“The practice of domestic prioritisation has empowered local businesses. It is no longer only foreign companies that are getting big tenders,” Household Creative Managing Director, Lovett Kabanda said.
“Before EGPS, we did not even know when tenders were out. Now, we can bid freely without the use of middlemen,” Managing Director, Asphalt Products, Francis Mangwendeza said.
“The EGPS system has made things easy for everyone to get a piece of cake from government tenders. It is no longer just big companies that are getting contracts. Local companies are the ones getting the gigs to do roads, which is something that was not common during the reign of the First Republic,” CCG Systems Global Firm Representative, Dr Reynolds Muza said.
Central to this shift is the Electronic Government Procurement System, which has cut out middlemen.
“Affirmative procurement is not charity. It is a strategy that puts underrepresented businesses at the forefront of advancing national development. By ring-fencing certain tenders for SMEs, women, and youths, and enforcing domestic preferencing, we are building local capacity. EGPS ensures these groups access opportunities in real time. This is directly aligned to National Development Strategy Two, where public procurement is a catalyst for Vision 2030,” CEO – Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, Dr Clever Ruswa said.
The two-day symposium is running under the theme “Public Procurement as a Strategic Catalyst: Driving Inclusion and Sustainable Economic Transformation.”
The Electronic Government Procurement System and affirmative procurement are proving to be crucial vehicles for driving the nation towards Vision 2030.
