The Gauteng Provincial Government must use its demand management and supply chain processes to enhance transparency in the procurement of goods and services. Such a process will ensure that government is able to publicly publish every year its annual procurement requirements so that potential service providers may plan their responses to these opportunities. On the other hand, stricter controls must be implemented to ensure that service providers deliver quality goods and services to government. This is according to Gauteng’s Finance MEC Mr Mandla Nkomfe.
This call for better demand planning follows an identified need for a demand management framework whose principal objective is to ensure requirements are aligned to budgets and cash available. The Gauteng Department of Finance will work with departments of the Gauteng Government to ensure that demand planning becomes part of the routine planning process of government.
"We must ensure that the process results in transparent and fair procurement and affords all prospective suppliers an opportunity to do business with government" says MEC Nkomfe.
The framework must further call for measures to:
- introduce systematic assessment and quantification of value and quality of goods and services provided
- specify and monitor turnaround times for purchasing, delivery and payment
- more stringent and accountable contract management
- clear targets with specific bias towards the empowerment of Youth, Women and People with Disabilities owned enterprises must be in place.
These measures will contribute to government’s ability to overcome some of the service delivery gaps that may have arisen as result of procurement processes not being followed; the consequence of which is a delay in the payment of service providers.
The implementation of these measures will ensure that we do not pay lip service to good governance but that it becomes a norm in the public service, added Nkomfe.
Enquiries:
Khusela Sangoni
Cell: 079 510 5408
E-mail: gsscmedia@gauteng.gov.za
