Procurement Inspection and Coordination

Background
In December 2020, the Ministry of Public service granted the creation of the Procurement Inspection and Coordination department under the Directorate of Inspection. The department is responsible for Monitoring, Inspecting, and Coordinating procurement activities in 176 Local Government Entities (135 Districts, 31 Municipalities, and 10 Cities). These Local Governments spend a big part of their Annual Budgets every Financial Year on the acquisition of Goods, Works, and services hence the strategic importance of the Procurement function in Local Governments.

Over the period, Local Governments have taken charge of their affairs under the Supervision of the Ministry in line with Section 95 of the Local Governments Act, Cap 243 which stipulates that “The Ministry responsible for Local Governments shall be responsible for the guidance, inspection, monitoring and coordination of Local Governments to ensure compliance with the provisions of the act and any other law.
However, several Audits from Office of the Auditor General, Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA), and Diagnostic Studies have indicated that the acquisition of Goods, Services and works in Local Governments still face challenges. This brings in the need for a separate Department to deal with Procurement Inspection.

Strategic Objective
The Department is mandated to undertake systematic verification of adherence to the established legal policy framework, regulations, guidelines, procedures and rules to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the operations of Procurement and Disposal in Local Governments.

The following are Key Functions of the Department.

1. 1. Coordinate formulation of Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Policy, and Operational Guidelines for Local Governments.
   2. Provide Technical Guidance, Procedures and Advise on the management of Public Procurement and Disposal Systems in Local Governments.
   3. Develop Internal Operational Guidelines on Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Management for Local Governments.
   4. Promote a separation of Procurement Regulatory and Execution Functions in order to ensure a Sound, Transparent and Fair Procurement Governance Framework in Local Governments.
   5. Strengthen Operational Efficiency by ensuring Quality and Capacity of the Local Government Practitioners, Procuring Entities, Contracts Committees, and Evaluation Committees are strengthened and providing them with Operational Tools, Documents and Procedures.
   6. Develop the Control Procurement Function Review Mechanism and Compliance Audits.
   7. Conduct Inspectorate activities and monitoring of Procurement Entities in Local Governments.
   8. Oversee Staff Performance and Coordinate Career and Professional Development for Procurement Cadres in Local Governments.
   9. Provide Policies for Professional Procurement and Development of Staff Resources including Adherence to Proper Ethical Standards.