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Africa Moyo Deputy News Editor
Procurement processes have been simplified to allow State entities to speedily procure goods needed to respond to Covid-19, the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) has said.

In a letter dated March 27 seen by The Herald directed to senior Government officials, PRAZ chief executive officer Mr Nyasha Chizu said the Ministry of Health and Child Care shall coordinate the procurement of Covid-19 requirements for all provinces.

The letter was sent to the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, Secretary in the Office of Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga’s office Mr Godfrey Chanakira, Secretary for State Enterprises Reform, Corporate Governance and Procurement Mr Willard Manungo, Secretary for Public Service Commission Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe and Secretary for Health Dr Agnes Mahomva.

Mr Chizu said pursuant to the address by President Mnangagwa on March 23 on strategies to mitigate the devastating impact of Covid-19 on citizens, they were invoking public procurement systems to effectively respond to requirements of all State entities responsible in one way or the other, to fight the disease.

The intervention by PRAZ follows complaints from many suppliers and procuring entities that the process was taking far too long, and not reflective of the urgency required to deal with Covid-19, which has already claimed a life in Zimbabwe.

PRAZ has since developed a special bidding document for establishing framework arrangements for the procurement of standard common use items for managing Covid-19. It has since been issued to the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

The framework shall cover Covid-19 requirements such as personal protective clothing, case management equipment and accessories, disinfectants and detergents, laboratory equipment, consumables and reagents and prevention and control equipment and accessories.

Under the framework arrangement, the call for participants shall close in 48 hours, and will establish a catalogue of Covid-19 requirements wherein suppliers shall provide on a weekly basis, their delivery capacity, the price and the province they can supply and details of their warehouse or shop.

“The catalogue of Covid-19 requirements shall be updated every week, that is, it shall be published every Monday by the Ministry of Health and Child Care,” said Mr Chizu.

“Procuring entities shall place purchase orders for their requirements after confirming availability of funds from Treasury in the case of central Government or their finance department in case of other State entities.”

Payments shall be confirmed by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, be made within seven days of delivery and PRAZ will be monitoring the performance of the contractual parties in line with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.  Considering last week’s announcement by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe that companies can sell commodities in US dollars during this time when Zimbabwe is battling Covid-19, quotations and purchase orders can be made in Zimbabwe dollars with the option of payment in US dollars when the procuring entity has free funds.

Preference shall be given to local manufacturers and locally made goods.

Direct procurement method shall be made where necessary, in compliance with the law.