The Government of Sierra Leone spends significant portion of its budget to procure goods, works, and services. Public procurement being the main channel for Government service delivery needs to be reformed to ensure effective service delivery and implementation of its programmes and policies.
It was against this backdrop that His Excellency, President Dr. Rtd. Julius Maada Bio in 2018 appointed the Chief Executive of the National Public Procurement Authority, Ibrahim Brima Swarray who has practical knowledge and relevant academic qualifications in public sector procurement.
His appointment has brought several reforms in the public procurement sector and landscape in Sierra Leone. He met the NPPA in a moribund state with low staff capacity, ineffective implementation of the laws and lackadaisical attitude of most procurement practitioners. This state of affairs have been eradicated in public procurement management within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in Sierra Leone through stringent adherence to the public procurement laws by the regulatory Authority.
The National Public Procurement Authority has recruited more staff, overturned poor infrastructural facility across the board to a modernised and enviable profession. The Authority has regional offices with full functioning facilities in the Northern, Southern and Eastern Regions of the Country to enhance the decentralisation drive of President Bio in fulfilment of the ‘People’s Manifesto’ promise.
After key interventions by donor partners, the country dissolved the Central Tender Board by enacting the Public Procurement Act of 2004 which was repealed and replaced by the Public Procurement Act, 2016. Its functions are to monitor, regulate and advise Government on public procurement related issues within MDAs.
It is on these strides that the International Development Institute (IDI) invited the Chief Executive of the reforming National Public Procurement Authority to Washington DC, United States of America to speak on the rapid innovative growth of public procurement in the country under the watch of President Bio.
The International Development Institute provides policy advice, research, and training for developing countries to enhance sustainable public procurement. They work closely with policymakers, programs, and technical assistance that address a wide spectrum of topics. Their Sustainable Asset Valuation also provides quantitative evidence on the multiple financial, economic, social, and environmental gains that can be realised through sustainable public procurement.
The International Development Institute has over the years provided training for procurement reforming countries across the Globe. The NPPA boss and his team flew to USA on 1st November 2021 to participate in a weeklong training and to share practical knowledge on public procurement reforms in Sierra Leone.
The management of IDI applauded the leadership of NPPA for a great work done in reforming the public procurement sector. The Chief Executive was invited to speak on the achievements leading to procurement reform in the Sierra Leone and the challenges therein.
In his presentation, the Chief Executive of the NPPA, Ibrahim Brima Swarray expressed his delight over the public procurement reform processes and procedures, regulations, and learner-centered approaches projected by the International Development Institute during the training sessions. He said even though Sierra Leone is a small country, it dreams big. He explained that he assumed office on 20th June 2018 on the President’s mantra of restoration of sound public procurement management, closing of leakages, upholding transparency, fairness, accountability, and value for money. He explained that procurement is one of the hobs that gives a sound financial management system and expenditure, pointing out that President Bio is more than willing to accepting innovation. “We are here to showcase our procurement framework, though a small country, we can do big things and we are willing to learn”.
He catalogued the legal instruments and the operational workflow of the NPPA to his audience. Slides were thrown on the review of the 2006 Public Procurement Manual, the newly reviewed Public Procurement Regulation 2020, the quarterly publication of Price Norms, quarterly publication of the Public Procurement Bulletin, Annual Procurement Assessment Reports in 2018, 2019, 2020 and the Standard Bidding Documents as supportive proofs of the transformative drive of the Authority.
Mr. Swarray stressed that the NPPA is closing in on the implementation of the e-GP (Electronic Government Procurement), which will move public procurement from manual or paper-based to digital. He maintained that training and certification were organised for procurement practitioners, vote-controllers, and procurement related stakeholders including the media. He said the NPPA collaborates with the Country’s Anti-Corruption Commission through a Memorandum of Understanding to prevent corruption in the procurement landscape. He told his audience that the Authority’s website is a reference point for every procurement activity undertaken by Ministries, Departments and Agencies which the Ministry of Finance acknowledges before payment is done.
The presentation by the NPPA boss was designed to showcase how effective and efficient public procurement can serve as a catalyst for economic growth. Sustainable public procurement is a key factor in enabling Sierra Leone to move towards economy growth
The Government of President Bio has embraced the value for money public procurement and is setting an example for other countries to leverage the power of the public purse to advance sustainable development.
