PPCC will insist on Transparency, Accountability in Public Procurement
Professor Willie Belleh, Jr., has assured stakeholder institutions, partners and procuring entities of the Commission’s preparedness to forge alliances and collaborations geared towards ensuring value for money, long term social and economic benefits for concession rights, and transparency and accountability in the awards of contracts for procurement and concessions.
He made the assertions at the start of a weeklong sensitization workshop for heads of procuring entities, deputies for administration, comptrollers, procurement directors and assistant procurement directors. Professor Willie Belleh, Jr., is the Chairman of Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC).
Discussions and presentations focused on the Amended and Restated Public Procurement and Concessions Act, Revised Thresholds, Budget Execution, and Auditing. The workshop was held in the Conference Room of the Corina Hotel in Sinkor, from May 9 to May 17, 2011.
“Collaterally, Liberia is endowed with many natural resources such as iron ore, gold, diamond, and timber. Commercial exploitation of these resources are highly capital intensive. As such, the government often contracts the commercial management of these resources to foreign investors through the granting of concessions. In the concession granting process, we seek to ensure transparency and long-term social and economic values,” Professor Belleh accentuated.
Commenting on the issue of collaboration, Professor Belleh disclosed that the Commission is in partnership with Ministry of Finance, General Auditing Commission, and international partners geared towards ensuring transparency, accountability and value for money in public procurement.
As a result of this collaboration, Professor Belleh averred, no payment will be made by the Ministry of Finance relative to public procurement without the knowledge of the Commission. He used the occasion to thank Ministry of Finance, General Auditing Commission, and international partners for the support and collaboration.
Making remarks at the occasion, Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, told participants that unless they took a scrupulous and a comprehensive review of the PPC Act for better understanding, they will always encounter problems relative to its implementation.
He intoned that the workshop, which seeks to sensitize participants on the Amended and Restated PPC Act, Budget Execution and Auditing, offers the best opportunity to interact with people knowledgeable in the selected areas. Minister Ngafuan lauded organizers of the workshop for the initiative and challenged participants to take advantage of the opportunity to enhance their understanding in procurement.
The workshop was held on the theme: Enhancing the Restatements and Amendments in the revised PPC Act and the roles of Ministries of Justice and Finance in the Budget Execution Process. A team of facilitators from GAC, PPCC, and Ministry of Finance, knowledgeable in Procurement, Budget Execution and Auditing, made presentations on the structure of procurement committee, bid evaluation panel, contracts award, budget execution, auditing, amended and restated PPC Act, and the Schedule Thresholds. A total of 76 procuring entities participated.
The Amendment and Restatement of the PPC Act of 2005 was in response to the recommendations made by stakeholders during the 2008 Annual Procurement Forum regarding review of the Act to determine areas where amendments were necessary aimed at ensuring clarity, efficiency and productivity.
The revised PPC Act was enacted into law by the Liberian Legislature and approved by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, on September 16, 2010, following a scrupulous review process by stakeholders and partners.
