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Africa Moyo Senior Business Reporter
The coming into effect of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDPA) Act (Chapter 22: 23), has created several job opportunities for citizens with requisite qualifications.

Recently, there has been a flurry of adverts in the mainstream media as companies and local authorities seek to establish the position of procurement officer in line with the new law.

Procurement was previously seen as an administration job, which tended to create inefficiencies.

Last week, the Insurance Pensions Commission (IPEC), Pfura Rural District Council (RDC), Rushinga RDC, Upper Manyane RDC and Bikita RDC, and other private companies, ran adverts seeking to recruit procurement officers. Chitungwiza Municipality wants to employ a procurement manager while Gutu RDC wants a procurement and stores control officer. Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) chief executive officer Nyasha Chizu, confirmed to The Herald Business last week that the procurement law has created several job opportunities for Zimbabweans.

“Indeed, the new law has created procurement positions for qualified people,” said Mr Chizu.

“Government recognises that public procurement is a strategic lever and that effective service delivery can only be achieved when you have a professional unit. In that regard, the Act has assigned procurement to a procurement management ministry removing it from that system of procurement being an administrative function. So that explains its strategic role and to that effect, there are jobs that are now being created in procurement; that is why you see an influx in procurement positions.”

Creation of “decent jobs” is Government’s top priority.  The PPDPA Act was passed last year, principally to address the concerns that emanated from how the State Procurement Board (SPB) operated.

The new Act has seen the establishment of the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) to oversee the implementation of the new procurement law. PRAZ recently announced the introduction of standard bidding documents for use by all procuring entities to ensure transparency, uniformity and cost containment. The standard bidding documents were introduced in terms of Section 6 (1) of the PPDPA Act.

The term ‘standard’ implies that the documents are used across all procuring entities to achieve uniformity when procuring the same goods, services, works and consultancy.

Standard bidding documents are seen as critical if the country was to achieve President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vision 2030 of an upper middle income economy. PRAZ has introduced five standard bidding documents which are; standard request for expressions of interest for the selection of consultancy services; standard request for proposals for the selection of consultancy services; standard bidding document for the procurement of goods; standard bidding document for the procurement of non-complex works; and standard bidding document for the procurement of non-consulting services.