Government locking out corrupt tenderpreneurs

Zim Now Writer

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is working on a pricing framework for government procurement to prevent looting through overpricing.

“The ministry of finance is working on a framework to come up with a standardised pricing for goods and services which are commonly used in government ministries and other departments,” director for expenditure management in Treasury Mr Nobert Machinjike told the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee yesterday.

Machinjike said that standardisation of pricing eliminates the current loopholes whereby each entity was free to decide on its own pricing.

“To that effect one of the first categories was completed on February 2, and we are still working in the other category to ensure that this overpricing does not happen again, where you see the pricing is varying from one ministry to another or from one agent to another.”

He said the completed category covers groceries and office goods used on a regular basis.

Machinjike was before the Public Accounts Committee to shed light in ongoing probe of Parliament’s tender awards to two companies for laptops and desktop computers.

Treasury blocked Blinart Investments from supplying 79 desktop computers at US$3 076,61 each and Mid-End Computers and Hardware from supplying 173 laptops at US$9 264,48 each.

Last year Government blacklisted 19 suppliers from doing business with state institutions and added 11 firms to the list a couple of weeks ago. The axed organisations face allegations of overcharging the government and or fuelling the black market.

“We need to ensure that the procurement process is not marred by these irregularities which we have seen previously,” said Machinjike.

He also said in addition to providing standard price guides, Treasury is also working on ensuring that budget limits are observed and ensuring global price stability.

Zimbabwe faced hyperinflation in the 2022 Q2 and Q3 owing to runaway black market rates. The situation was stabilised through tightening of policies.

Mr Machinjike said any disciplinary measures against any culpable parties in the computer procurement scandal is the responsibility of Clerk of Parliament Mr Kennedy Chokuda as the accounting officer.

President Mnangagwa yesterday highlighted corruption of senior civil servants as barrier to cleaning up the system. While the president zeroed in on land barons, the sentiments he expressed are likely applicable to all state functions.

Corruption has been cited as one of the worst enemies of economic progress with looting of state funds red flagged in many reports.

Every cent that is stolen through over-pricing and payments for services not rendered is a direct fight against the declared national drive towards an upper middle class economy by 2030.