PPDA, AFIC tips women in procurement on new guidelines

The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) launched the new PDDA Regulations marking a crucial stride toward streamlining the public procurement sector. A research study by Africa Freedom of Information Centre found that only 1% of women-led businesses participate in public procurement in Uganda.

Mr. Benson Turamye, the Executive Director of PPDA, during the launch, highlighted the significance of these regulations, emphasizing their role in shortening lead times in the procurement process.

“Utilize procurement as a socio-economic tool to ensure sustainable public procurement and reduce business costs without compromising quality,” he said.

On the other hand, Henry Musasizi, Minister of State for General Duties at the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, commended the regulations for their role in reducing bureaucracy and promoting fiscal responsibility.

“The introduction of negotiation options is a commendable step towards a more agile and effective procurement system,” said Musasizi.

PSST Ramathan Ggoobi echoed these sentiments, urging procurement officers to prioritize direct manufacturer procurement over dealing with middlemen.

“There is a need to prioritize timely procurement without compromising on quality, and avoiding middlemen can contribute significantly to achieving this goal,” Ggoobi said. He also stressed the importance of strict adherence to the regulations to ensure a transparent and efficient procurement process.

Link to launch of new PPDA accessed here:  https://joripress.com/finance-minister-musasizi-launches-new-set-of-reulations-to-guide-public-procurement-and-public-assets-disposal

During the women in procurement training last week

With support from  Open Contracting Partnership Lift Program, Public Procurement & Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) Uganda’s  Regulator of Public Procurement in Uganda together with Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC), a Pan-African membership organization and resource center promoting citizens' access to information across Africa held a training for Women in Procurement Business on the new PPDA Guidelines 2024 aimed at Promoting economic & social inclusion in Uganda's Public Procurement.

“1 in 3 SMEs globally is owned by women. So why aren’t they getting their fair share of the $13 trillion government contracts? Our partners in in Uganda through our Lift impact accelerator are changing the status quo” a statement from Open Contracting Partnership partly reads.

During the training, the PPDA Executive Director, Mr. Benson Turamye called upon women in procurement to utilize the reserved procurements and become partners in implementing the PDDA new guidelines of 2024 which he said were passed as legal instruments followed by all government entities.

“Become our partners in implementing the #PPDAGuidelines2024. Report & we shall intervene when you discover that a PDE is giving out reserved procurements. Those below 30m in Central Government & below 10m in Local Government Entities” he said

The ED tasked the women to inform him if they discovered that the reserved procurements were given away to other bidders.

"When we passed the PPDA Guidelines 2024, they became legal instruments that must be followed by all government entities.  Whistle blow to me, when you find a Public and Disposal Entity, is giving out tenders reserved for women-owned businesses to men" he said

Mr Gilbert Ssendugwa

The Executive Director of The Africa Freedom of Information Centre Mr. Gilbert Ssendugwa on the other side said that research has found out that the businesses registered in the Uganda supplier database, “only 38.2% were women-owned and less than 1% were participating in public procurement, 69% of whom were based only in Kampala and Wakiso."

He highlighted some barriers that women encounter while in the procurement process including the inability to meet stiff legal requirements, Inability to prepare and submit responsive bids, lack of capital and access to information, and Delayed payments among others.

Senior Officer Capacity Building, at PPDA,  Mariam Baluka is guided the women entrepreneurs through the process of preparing a responsive bid, & bidding through the eGP Uganda system.

According to the World Bank, women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute 20% to the global gross domestic product. Despite the growth of women’s entrepreneurship, the number of businesses getting government contracts is much lower.