By KENNEDY MUPESENI –
THE Association of Consulting Engineers of Zambia (ACEZ) has urged the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) to increase the bidding threshold from K5, 000 to K5 million to enable more Zambian engineers to participate in various projects.
ACEZ  national treasurer Stefan Dorner said for more Zambian consulting engineers to participate, ZPPA should increase direct bidding to the proposed K5 million.
Mr Dorner was speaking at the Engineering Institute of Zambia (EIZ) stakeholder’s workshop on procurement of engineering services in Lusaka on Tuesday evening.
“The threshold for direct bidding should be increased from K5, 000 to K5 million recommend adjusting the threshold to enable more Zambian consulting engineer’s participation. The threshold for open national selection should be increased from K300, 000 currently to K20million,” he said.
The association also proposed that the threshold for open international selection should be increased from the current K500, 000 to around K20 million.
He said the ZPPA should have a mechanism that monitored and ensured that contracts are paid on time and that delays due to lack of funds should be addressed.
ZPPA should reconfirm with the procuring entity that a contract manager has been appointed to ensure that control of works and payment for services are provided.
“We observe that tender procedures and the selection process are sometimes not entirely fair and transparent,” he said.