Procurement practitioners urged to avoid corruption

The Zambia Institute of Purchasing and Supply (ZIPS) has urged all procurement practitioners in the public sector to follow laid down procurement regulations in order to reduce incidences of corruption that have been reported in the recent Auditor General’s report.
Institute president George Mumba told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that ZIPS will not hesitate to deregister any member that will fail to abide by the procurement rules and regulation.

Mr. Mumba said his institute will also keenly follow the procurement entities that are reported to have failed to follow procurement procedures and question the procurement officers involved for failure to use professional judgment.

He said ZIPS will thereafter determine whether it would be necessary to charge the officers with professional misconduct or not.

Mr. Mumba has since directed procurement practitioners to influence their managements in their organisations to follow procurement procedures as outlined in the public procurement act of 2008 and the public procurement regulations of 2011.

The ZIPS president also noted that there was a negative trend which was emerging in the country where there were few adverts that were being put for senior procurement appointments both in public and private sectors.

He said the country has a lot of procurement professionals with strong ability and emotion intelligence needed to push the procurement agenda forward and effectively.

Mr. Mumba said it will be beneficial for both ZIPS and the employing organisations if the employers could circulate widely in the media the intended appointments for senior appointments to ensure that only deserving and qualified men and women of integrity are recruited.

He said this will ensure that corruption in the procurement function reduces drastically.

And ZIPS has introduced the first ever media awards in the country that will be given to journalists who have worked hard to report all procurement and supply chain related matters in the country in the year 2013.