BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
The National Public Procurement Authority has on Thursday the 21st of April 2022, officially launched its 2022 2nd Quarter procurement Price Norm in order to enhanced value for money in all procurement processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies. The publication of the 2dn Quarter of the 2022 procurement Price Norm will also help in the fight against corruption.
In his statement, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Public Procurement Authority Ibrahim Brima Swarray, acknowledged that procurement is a dynamic activity because prices on goods and services keep on changing on a regular basis. He added that a lot of supply chain is happening and that goods bought the previous day may have a sudden increase in price on the following day.
He therefore, elucidated that the Price Norm being a law, mandates the National Public Procurement Authority to ensure that Ministries, Departments and Agencies are working in tandem with the National Public Procurement Authority’s Price Norm. Ibrahim Brima Swarray encouraged practicing procurement officers at Ministries, Departments and Agencies to continue using the Price Norm as their bible and holy Quran in an event they are challenged with any procurement process.
“For us that are still using these professional disciplines we have so much to offer Sierra Leone. Let us see procurement beyond buying and selling and pay attention to the things are we doing. Every activity or every policy formulated in the country, has a nexus to goods and services. So if we can have correct data it will influence decision makers”, said Brima Swarray.
The Chief Executive Officer also encouraged procurement Officers not to just limit themselves in taking minutes at meetings, but to constantly engage policy makers at MDAs with an informed data regarding apt procurement processes. He noted that the faith of Sierra Leone lies in the procurement practitioners only if they act as professionals.
He reiterated that the data they collected, the decision they make will give procurement professionals the exact knowledge in proposing policies as to how government runs. Ibrahim Brima Swarray concluded that there will be no better way of enhancing good governance without fighting corruption of which procurement practitioners are key players.
The Board Chairman of the National Public Procurement Authority Alfred H. Kandeh, disclosed that they have come a long way in the procurement sojourn adding that, when they stated, they had no Price Norm. He therefore, commended the Chief Executive Officer for the development of the Price Norm and also encouraged all practitioners and other stakeholders within the public financial management landscape to be in compliance with the procurement Price Norm. He also beseeched all public procurement practitioners to be making references to the Price Norm in the course of their procurement processes.
The Procurement Director at the Ministry of Finance Foday Konneh, revealed that the publication of the Price Norm is a fundamental element of the regulatory role of the National Public Procurement Authority. He added that the persistent publication of the Price Norm is a deliberate commitment by NPPA in ensuring transparency and accountability within the procurement landscape. The Foday Konneh continued that over the time, the procurement Price Norm has ensured that there is transparency in tracking prices of commodities that are bought with tax payer’s money. He mentioned that the significant aspect of the continuous publication of the Price Norm by NPPA is to ensure value for money. He concluded by also asserting that the Price Norm has help tremendously in the fight against corruption.
