Procurement body welcomes new PPDA guidelines

Mar 30, 2017

The new guidelines have been issued to accounting officers in all public Procuring and Disposing Entities (PDEs).

Dr Levi Kabagambe, the chairman of the Institute of Procurement Professionals of Uganda (IPPU) has welcomed new reservation guidelines issued by the Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) to promote local content in public procurement.

"This initiative is long overdue. To develop the capacity of your local contractors, you have to make a choice. Do you grow their capacity without giving them work, or give them work so that they can improve?" he says.

The new guidelines have been issued to accounting officers in all public Procuring and Disposing Entities (PDEs). These guidelines have been issued to further the aspirations of the National Development Plan II (NDP II) 2015/16 - 2019/2020 and the Buy Uganda Build Uganda Policy.

Kabagambe says with the new guidelines in place, local companies do not need any other impetus to grow their capacity.

"This is a very positive development. You are going to see competition among local companies for the contracts which have been set aside for them. Some of them are already responding, they are hiring procurement professionals so that they can have better bids."

Under the draft guidelines, at least 30% of the value of works undertaken by the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Water and Environment, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defence, Uganda National Roads Authority and Kampala Capital City Authority shall be reserved for Ugandan through subcontracting to local companies in case a contract goes to a foreign firm.

Furthermore, special reservations for procurement of uniforms and related clothing materials, voltage cables and conductors and selected medicines are also set to come in place to protect local manufacturers.

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