(A)

The object of the Public Procurement Act 2003 Act 663 (Public Procurement Amendment Act, 2016, Act 914) is to harmonise public procurement in the public service to secure a judicious, economic, and efficient use of state resources and to ensure that public procurement is carried out in a fair, transparent, non-discriminatory, environmentally, and socially sustainable manner.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  (B)  Functions of the Public Procurement Authority:

(i) Procurement policy making. The Authority makes proposals for the formulation of policies on procurement and ensures policy implementation and human resource development for public procurement.

(ii) Capacity building of procurement practitioners. The Authority facilitates the training of public officials involved in public procurement at various levels. It also develops, promotes, and supports training and professional development of persons engaged in public procurement, and ensures adherence by the trained persons to ethical standards.

(iii) Procurement information system. The Authority is responsible for establishing and implementing an information system relating to public procurement.

(iv) Anti-corruption in public procurement. The Authority is responsible for investigating and debarring from procurement practice, suppliers, contractors, and consultants who have seriously neglected their obligations under a public procurement contract, have provided false information about their qualifications, or offered inducements. It also maintains a list of firms that have been debarred from participating in public procurement and communicates the list to procurement entities on a regular basis.

(v) Monitoring and evaluation of public procurement. The Authority monitors and supervises public procurement and ensures compliance with statutory requirements.