Publication: Malawi : Country Procurement Assessment Report, Volume 1. Main Findings and Recommendations
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2004-05-24
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2013-09-05
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The Malawi Country Procurement Assessment Report is a joint undertaking between the Malawi Government and the World Bank to analyze the country procurement system and recommend appropriate actions to improve the efficiency, economy and transparency of the system. This report is divided into (a) an Executive Summary, (b) Main Report on Findings and Recommendations, and (c) Annexes. Since the preparation of the diagnostic study on Malawi's public procurement system in 1996, the Government has made good progress with establishing new - and relatively good - legal framework for procurement reform. But there has not yet been much reform (institutional, practical and oversight). In 2003, the Malawi Parliament passed a new procurement law, the Public Procurement Act of 2003, which became effective in August of that year. The new Procurement Act requires procurement regulations to provide, among things, thresholds for the use of the various procurement methods, bid and bid evaluation procedures and contract management. The analysis of the CPAR is carried out against the five basic pillars of a sound public procurement system, including: (i) a functioning legal, regulatory and institutional framework, (ii) use of modernized procurement procedures and practices; (iii) procurement proficiency of Government staff; (iv) independence of audits and recourse for complaints; and (v) inclusion of anti-corruption measures in the procurement law and application of effective sanctions. In addition, the CPAR analyses the performance of the private sector in public procurement and the procurement performance of Bank financed projects. The analysis has led to the recommendations made below, summarized in the Action Plan, to strengthen each pillar over time. Weaknesses in current procurement performance are identified as substantial delays in the procurement process, insufficient capacity, and inadequacies in procurement organization, documents and management. The continued reliance on the Interim Guidelines, which include a number of practices that are considered incompatible with internationally acceptable procurement standards, are also partially to blame for this.
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“World Bank. 2004. Malawi : Country Procurement Assessment Report, Volume 1. Main Findings and Recommendations. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15643 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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Publication Ghana : Country Procurement Assessment Report, Volume 2. Main Report(Washington, DC, 2003-06)This report highlights a broad array of poor procedures and practices throughout the tendering and contract management process, which have been the cause of many of Ghana's public procurement problems, and where most of the leakages in public procurement funding occur and substantial savings could be realized. Most of the procedural anomalies are now being corrected by the Public Procurement Act (PPA), which includes the new regulations for the procurement of goods, works, and consulting services to be applied by all Procurement Entities. The provisions for standard tender documents and standard request for consulting proposals being completed, will detail the general principles embedded in the PPA, including evaluation and selection criteria. Standard contract documents, also being completed, will streamline current problems with contracting and payment procedures, labor standards, and dispute resolution. Good procurement manuals and training should leave no room for lack of understanding by procurement staff. The positive results on the ground depend largely on how well the new policies are put into practice and the extent to which this is done without political interference to the contrary. The application of the PPA and the Standard Tender and Contract Documents will not be successful without a broad training and "refresher" program and encouragement of officials in charge of procurement. Oversight and review functions are critical to exercising good procurement fiduciary management and Ghana is taking the necessary measures to strengthen it. Some recommendations include improving procurement planning and budgeting; value for money; contract management; stores management, record keeping, ensuring use of modern labor standards in works contracts, securing as soon as possible the necessary external financing for training, developing clear procedures for the prior and post review of procurement activities, putting in place an effective sanctions system; having competent experts do procurement audits separately, providing for capacity building, enforcing the code of conduct for civil servants and ethics codes, and involving the private sector and the media by making it aware of the various means in the national laws by which it can contribute to preserving transparency and accountability.Publication Malawi : Country Procurement Assessment Report, Volume 2. Details and Annexes(Washington, DC, 2004-05-24)The Malawi Country Procurement Assessment Report is a joint undertaking between the Malawi Government and the World Bank to analyze the country procurement system and recommend appropriate actions to improve the efficiency, economy and transparency of the system. This report is divided into (a) an Executive Summary, (b) Main Report on Findings and Recommendations, and (c) Annexes. Since the preparation of the diagnostic study on Malawi's public procurement system in 1996, the Government has made good progress with establishing new - and relatively good - legal framework for procurement reform. But there has not yet been much reform (institutional, practical and oversight). In 2003, the Malawi Parliament passed a new procurement law, the Public Procurement Act of 2003, which became effective in August of that year. The new Procurement Act requires procurement regulations to provide, among things, thresholds for the use of the various procurement methods, bid and bid evaluation procedures and contract management. The analysis of the CPAR is carried out against the five basic pillars of a sound public procurement system, including: (i) a functioning legal, regulatory and institutional framework, (ii) use of modernized procurement procedures and practices; (iii) procurement proficiency of Government staff; (iv) independence of audits and recourse for complaints; and (v) inclusion of anti-corruption measures in the procurement law and application of effective sanctions. In addition, the CPAR analyses the performance of the private sector in public procurement and the procurement performance of Bank financed projects. The analysis has led to the recommendations made below, summarized in the Action Plan, to strengthen each pillar over time. Weaknesses in current procurement performance are identified as substantial delays in the procurement process, insufficient capacity, and inadequacies in procurement organization, documents and management. The continued reliance on the Interim Guidelines, which include a number of practices that are considered incompatible with internationally acceptable procurement standards, are also partially to blame for this.Publication Ethiopia : Country Procurement Assessment Report, Volume 1. Findings and Recommendations(Washington, DC, 2002-06-28)The CPAR has reviewed the Ethiopian procurement system against the generally accepted international principles of sound procurement fiduciary management, meeting the criteria of transparency, economy and efficiency necessary for an optimal use of scarce public funds. These criteria are: (i) existence of a comprehensive and transparent legal framework, including a clear, well defined organizational structure to ensure the application of procurement laws with adequate monitoring; (ii) the use of modernized procurement procedures and practices; (iii) a proficient and evenly distributed procurement staff; (iv) existence of an independent control mechanism, including a functioning system to treat bidders' complaints and carry out independent audits, and (v) anti-corruption measures with effective sanctions. Using these benchmarks, the team has found that these criteria are only partially satisfied in Ethiopia, and that improvements are necessary.Publication Malawi : Country Procurement Assessment Report, Volume 3. Executive Summary(Washington, DC, 2004-05-24)The Malawi Country Procurement Assessment Report is a joint undertaking between the Malawi Government and the World Bank to analyze the country procurement system and recommend appropriate actions to improve the efficiency, economy and transparency of the system. This report is divided into (a) an Executive Summary, (b) Main Report on Findings and Recommendations, and (c) Annexes. Since the preparation of the diagnostic study on Malawi's public procurement system in 1996, the Government has made good progress with establishing new - and relatively good - legal framework for procurement reform. But there has not yet been much reform (institutional, practical and oversight). In 2003, the Malawi Parliament passed a new procurement law, the Public Procurement Act of 2003, which became effective in August of that year. The new Procurement Act requires procurement regulations to provide, among things, thresholds for the use of the various procurement methods, bid and bid evaluation procedures and contract management. The analysis of the CPAR is carried out against the five basic pillars of a sound public procurement system, including: (i) a functioning legal, regulatory and institutional framework, (ii) use of modernized procurement procedures and practices; (iii) procurement proficiency of Government staff; (iv) independence of audits and recourse for complaints; and (v) inclusion of anti-corruption measures in the procurement law and application of effective sanctions. In addition, the CPAR analyses the performance of the private sector in public procurement and the procurement performance of Bank financed projects. The analysis has led to the recommendations made below, summarized in the Action Plan, to strengthen each pillar over time. Weaknesses in current procurement performance are identified as substantial delays in the procurement process, insufficient capacity, and inadequacies in procurement organization, documents and management. The continued reliance on the Interim Guidelines, which include a number of practices that are considered incompatible with internationally acceptable procurement standards, are also partially to blame for this.Publication Zambia : Country Procurement Assessment Report, Volume 1. Main Report(Washington, DC, 2002-10-28)The legal framework lacks robustness, and features structural and content inadequacies. Two current practices foster corruption and higher prices: using negotiations as an accepted procurement method, and, misusing the registration system for purchases from short-listed firms. Furthermore, procurement management is weak, showing incomplete procurement files, producing therefore avoidable losses for the government, while inadequacies in budget allocation, and in the funds release system reveal significant release delays, seriously affecting project implementation and contract management. Within this context, it is recommended to establish a procurement reform task force to initiate, and oversee the implementation set in the action plan developed by this CPAR. Moreover, the policy, and supervisory role of the Zambia National Tender Board (ZNTB) should be established, even prior to the new procurement legislation. The plan for a complete delegation of procurement authority should be finalized within a phased three-year period, and a professional procurement cadre should be established, defining its composition, with measures to support the management function. Other recommendations include the re-design of a registration list system, implementation of anti-corruption actions, and, introduction of appropriate procurement planning, and a new filing system.
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