Challenges in the implementation of the public procurement ACT, 2003(act 663) in the District Assemblies (a case study of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly)
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Date
2015-03-24
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Abstract
The aim of this Dissertation is to identify challenges in the implementation of the
Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) at the District Assembly level. The
objectives are to identify some of the causes of these challenges in the implementation
of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal
Assembly, and also identify the effects of the implementation of the Act, using the
Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly as a case study.
The research was conducted using questionnaires, exploratory interviews and
reviewed literature.
The findings were that the procurement plan preparation was time-involving and thus
has the high tendency of being ignored or delayed in preparing it. It was not easy to
strictly adhere to the procurement plan preparation before commencement of
procurement. Procedurally, the procurement plan would however have to be prepared
before procurement commences. It further revealed that there is no procurement unit
and this makes officers like the Works Engineer, the Planning Officer or the Stores
Manager initiate and do the procurement on behalf of the Assembly. The quarterly
review of the procurement plan is hardly done by the Entity Tender Committee.
Evaluation Panel for projects are apparently permanent, that is, same people appear to
be doing the Evaluation all the time. Publishing of notice of Procurement Contract
Awards including the non-successful tenderers is not done but occasionally for the
notice of Award to the successful tenderer. Lastly is the non-availability of funds for
projects. All the above have their attendant consequential effects/impacts like delays
in project completion, contract price increase, and fraudulent practices/connivance of
suppliers or contractors with officers. Permanent evaluation panels breed corruption,
stampeding the Public Procurement Act‟s objectives.
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The use of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) is useful since it serves as a
guide in Public Procurement bringing about orderliness. Strict adherence to the
Procurement Plan, though difficult, would ensure that all spending would have been
budgeted for but funds would mostly not be available even supposing the procurement
plan had been readily prepared and to be followed.
It is recommended that, there should be a periodic review and monitoring, say
quarterly, by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) for compliance to the Act by
Procurement Entities. Bureaucratic tendencies when seeking various approvals from
the PPA must be minimised. Procurement as a discipline must be encouraged.
Government should ensure that cash flows are not erratic. Persons found culpable of
the Act‟s offences should be penalised.
Description
Dissertation
submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MSc. in
Procurement Management, 2014