Publication: Zambia - Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accountability Review : Country Procurement Assessment Review, Annex
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2003-11
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2013-07-31
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The challenges faced by Zambia in public expenditure management (PEM) have been longstanding, and will require targeted efforts, as well as a strong degree of political will to address. The recently launched constitutional review, which includes issues of public finance, the anti-corruption campaign of the new Government, and the renewed interest by Parliament in governance issues, and accountability have all been encouraging steps. Nevertheless, for Zambia to assure that public accountability is enduring, and not dependent upon the Government of the day, it must take steps to strengthen institutions of the State that can provide public oversight, and that promote basic checks and balances. This report provides a very detailed analysis of the country's PEM, and accountability processes. Yet, many of the recommendations are not new, but have been cited in previous reports of the Bank, and/or other donors. Effective implementation of public sector reforms will likely remain a challenge in Zambia. The limited capacity of Government suggests the need to target a few major aspects of public finance, and to address them persistently: improving compliance with existing regulations; strengthening the oversight institutions of the State; promoting public access to information; and, rebuilding information management, and reporting systems. The report also deals with the second objective of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), i.e., with ways and methods by which the Government can ensure efficient, equitable, and transparent management of public resources. It also focuses on the dimension of governance, i.e., the effectiveness of government to be able to provide public services. The specific objectives of the report are to: (a) provide a comprehensive and integrated assessment of Zambia's overall fiduciary risk, i.e., budget management, financial systems and auditing, and public procurement; (b) document PEM reforms progress to-date, and challenges facing Zambia; and, (c) develop a realistic action plan, outlining short and medium term remedial measures, which the Government should implement with donor support.
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“World Bank. 2003. Zambia - Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accountability Review : Country Procurement Assessment Review, Annex. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/14694 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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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.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 Zambia - Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accountability Review : Country Financial Accountability Assessment, Annex, Volume 2(Washington, DC, 2003-11)The challenges faced by Zambia in public expenditure management (PEM) have been longstanding, and will require targeted efforts, as well as a strong degree of political will to address. The recently launched constitutional review, which includes issues of public finance, the anti-corruption campaign of the new Government, and the renewed interest by Parliament in governance issues, and accountability have all been encouraging steps. Nevertheless, for Zambia to assure that public accountability is enduring, and not dependent upon the Government of the day, it must take steps to strengthen institutions of the State that can provide public oversight, and that promote basic checks and balances. This report provides a very detailed analysis of the country's PEM, and accountability processes. Yet, many of the recommendations are not new, but have been cited in previous reports of the Bank, and/or other donors. Effective implementation of public sector reforms will likely remain a challenge in Zambia. The limited capacity of Government suggests the need to target a few major aspects of public finance, and to address them persistently: improving compliance with existing regulations; strengthening the oversight institutions of the State; promoting public access to information; and, rebuilding information management, and reporting systems. The report also deals with the second objective of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), i.e., with ways and methods by which the Government can ensure efficient, equitable, and transparent management of public resources. It also focuses on the dimension of governance, i.e., the effectiveness of government to be able to provide public services. The specific objectives of the report are to: (a) provide a comprehensive and integrated assessment of Zambia's overall fiduciary risk, i.e., budget management, financial systems and auditing, and public procurement; (b) document PEM reforms progress to-date, and challenges facing Zambia; and, (c) develop a realistic action plan, outlining short and medium term remedial measures, which the Government should implement with donor support.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 Nigeria : Country Procurement Assessment Report, Volume 1. Summary of Findings and Recommendations(Washington, DC, 2000-06-30)This Country Procurement Assessment Report (CPAR) for Nigeria reviews the procurement system in terms of: legal framework, public sector procurement of goods/works/consultants, procurement performance in Bank-financed projects, private sector procurement, trade practices, financial framework, and electronic commerce. The report consists of two volumes. The first volume contains a summary of findings and recommendations and an Action Plan for implementing the recommendations. The second volume contains the main text and supporting. The report recommends: a) the enactment of a procurement law to underpin the reforms being proposed; b) the establishment of a Public Procurement Commission to be vested with oversight responsibilities for public procurement; c) the revision of key areas of the Financial Regulations to make them more transparent; d) a complete restructuring of the tender boards and approval procedures for contracts; and e) building procurement capacity in the public sector through restoration of professionalism in procurement and intensive training of procurement staff.
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