The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) has opened registration for public sector suppliers, with businesses warned that they risk losing business if they fail to register.
In an interview with State media, PRAZ chief executive officer, Clever Ruswa, said that the registration of public sector suppliers is mandatory.
He also said registration ensures transparency and accountability and stamps out errant behaviour by some players. Said Ruswa:
Procurement registration is mandatory and those who wish to supply the public sectors should register with the authority so that we avoid issues of common directorship whereby one can register several companies in different names yet belongs to an individual or same individuals.
Therefore, when participating in public procurement they may throw in different names and we think they are competing with different people yet it’s one or the same individuals.
Also, some fail to deliver after agreeing with the customer and when we want to take them to the court of law then it becomes easy to do that when dealing with registered entities.
Earlier, PRAZ had issued a public notice inviting registration for procurement. PRAZ said:
This notice is a call for registration for suppliers to the public sector in terms of Section 6 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act as read with Section 4 of Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDPA) Regulation S.I.5 of 2018 as amended.
The call is targeted at new suppliers of goods, works and services to the public sector as well as current suppliers published in the Government Gazettes of 2021 who wish to renew their registration for 2022.