By KASONDE KASONDE –
THE Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) and the Office of the Auditor General have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at curbing financial losses in management of public contracts due to inefficiency.
ZPPA director general Chibelushi Musongole said the Government lost colossal sums of money due to poor management of contracts.
Dr Musongole said the MoU covered that aspect and soon the two institutions would collectively be monitoring the execution of contracts in the public sector.
“The signing of the MoU will ensure that ZPPA and the Office of the Auditor General share procurement audit, compliance assessment and inspection through training of officers,” Dr Musongole said.
And Acting Deputy Auditor General Ron Mwambwa said the MoU would make sure that the two institutions, through information sharing and training, addressed the irregularities in the public procurement process.
Meanwhile, ZPPA has signed another MoU with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to combat corruption in the award of contracts through information sharing.
ACC acting director general Irene Lamba said corruption in public procurement could compromise fair competition, thereby reducing competitiveness and impede economic development.
Ms Lamba said the MoU was a major milestone in the fight against corruption in public procurement and would strengthen the working relationship between the two institutions.
“The MoU will expand the scope of cooperation through the appointment of focal point persons from the two institutions. These combined efforts will ensure that the scourge of corruption is kept in check,” Ms Lamba said.