Africa-Press – Mauritius. The guidance document on bid rigging for public procurers, aiming to shed light on potential risks of collusion in bidding exercise and its associated signs, was launched today, during a half-day workshop at the Caudan Arts Centre, in Port-Louis.
It was organised as a joint initiative of the Procurement Policy Office (PPO) and the Competition Commission (CC). A presentation was also made on the latest amendments brought in 2021 to the public procurement legislation.
The Director of the PPO, Mr Hirendranath Rambhojun, the Executive Director of the CC, Mr Deshmuk Kowlessur, as well as several representatives from public bodies were present.
In his address, Director Rambhojun dwelt on key aspects of public procurement namely commitment on procurement process and recommendations of Independent Review Panel (IRP) Reports.
He indicated that the Public Procurement Act and the Public Procurement Regulations form the basis for all procurement undertaken by Government which is why it is important that public bodies have access to clear directives.
He thus urged the participants to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and instructions and consider the implementation of all recommendations of the IRP.
The African Development Bank’s financed Methodology for the Assessment of Procurement System (MAPS) report, he indicated, will soon be validated by the MAPS Steering Committee.
An action plan, he said, is also underway for future procurement reforms by Government. As for his part, Mr Kowlessur underlined that the launch of the guidance document marks a strengthened collaboration between the PPO and the CC.
For him, both organisations have an overlapping duty of fighting collusion in public procurement. The guidance document, he said, will be an integral part of the public procurers’ toolkit and will serve as a referral point with the objective of raising awareness on different bidding stages.
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