National Public Procurement Authority:PUBLIC NOTICE on the ROLE/RESPONSIBILITY OF VOTE CONTROLLERS IN THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS

National Public Procurement Authority

OAU Drive, Tower Hill, Freetown

Website: www.publicprocurement.gov.sl

Phone: +232 25 274043 / +232 25 238583

PUBLIC NOTICE

CIRCULAR 02 – 2022

ROLE/RESPONSIBILITY OF VOTE CONTROLLERS IN THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS

The attention of the Authority has been drawn to the fact that vote controllers generally do not fully understand their role and responsibilities as assigned to them under the Public Procurement Act, 2016 (the Act).

The vote controller as chairman of the procurement committee, and working in tandem and close collaboration with the procurement unit, has the primary responsibility to ensure that all procurement activities are officially and effectively dealt with.

However, some vote controllers have been seen to be straddling the technical evaluation committee and the procurement committee in the capacity as chairman of both committees. This is fundamentally wrong as it results in a direct conflict of interest. These are two separate and distinct bodies and their membership also must be seen to be separate and distinct also. The only exceptions to this are the chairman of the technical evaluation committee and the head of the procurement unit. The chairman of the technical evaluation committee has a reporting requirement and so must be present at procurement committee meetings in order to brief the procurement committee on the details of the conduct of the evaluation exercise. The representative of the procurement unit has secretarial responsibilities as well as providing technical guidance at both the technical evaluation stage and at procurement committee also.

Vote controllers must not sit on the technical evaluation committee but should, in conjunction with the rest of the procurement committee, assign this responsibility on a rotating basis to a senior officer who preferably has great knowledge on the subject matter of any activity under consideration.

To be more fully informed, we advise that vote controllers must carefully read section 18 of the Act which provides details on the functions of the procurement committee and section 66 of the Public Procurement Regulations, 2020 which guides on the formation and functions of the technical evaluation committee.

Ibrahim Brima Swarray (MCIPS)

Chief Executive – NPPA