PPDA to get e-procurement system

The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) is in the process of procuring a provider for an e-procurement system.

The e-procurement system is touted by stakeholders as a game changer in the public procurement cycle, which is currently riddled with a lot of paperwork and delays as a result of physical transportation of documents.

In her final media interview as the Executive Director of PPDA, Cornelia Sabiiti said her successor will spearhead the implementation of the e-procurement system.

"We are in the process of contracting a provider to give us the system. We are trying to ensure that the system be integrated with the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS)," she said.

"We do not want to have two parallel systems yet both lead to public expenditure. So the e-procurement system will be at the front process, then IFMS will be at the payment system."

Cornelia Sabiiti's tenure as the chief executive of PPDA ended on March 31. A lawyer by profession, Sabiiti was appointed to the position in 2011, taking over from Edgar Agaba. Previously, she served as PPDA's Director of Legal and Compliance and also as secretary to the board.

During her six year tenure, Sabiiti oversaw the review of the PPDA law. These efforts eventually led to the coming into force of the amended PPDA Act on March 3rd, 2014.

She set the basic foundation of e-procurement. Also in her six years as the head of PPDA, e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system was launched. Recently, a new e-learning system was launched.