Newly elected and appointed Liberian government officials have been undergoing orientation in the public procurement legal framework, as well as its operating procedures and processes.
The Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) has this week commenced the conduct of series of procurement sensitization workshops aimed at strengthening the procurement capacity of newly elected and appointed officials.
The sessions have been taking place this week at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning in Monrovia.
The conduct of the workshops was made possible through the joint efforts of Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), and United Nations Development Program (UNDP), a PPCC statement said.
The participants are mainly heads of agencies and autonomous commissions, state owned enterprises, deputy and assistant ministers for administration, and procurement directors.
The workshop was primarily designed to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the management of public resources. It was also designed to ensure compliance with the Public Procurement and Concessions Act along with all subsidiary documents on public procurement.
Similar exercises are expected to be held for members of the Cabinet, National Legislature and the Judiciary.
Addressing participants at the start of the workshop, the Chief Executive Officer of PPCC, James Dorbor Jallah said the orientation sessions are particularly meant to expose newly appointed public officials to the public procurement legal framework, as well as its operating procedures and processes.
He urged the participants to take advantage of the available opportunity to increase their knowledge in public procurement and ensure compliance with the PPC Act.
Similarly, the Deputy Country Director for Programs of United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Mr. Cleophas Torori, challenged the participants to always observe the principles of transparency and integrity in the performance of their procurement responsibilities and oversight functions. He said UNDP will continue to direct its investment to the development of a well-functioning public procurement system in Liberia.
The orientation workshop focuses on key priority areas such as public procurement compliance requirements, online vendors’ registration and 25% SBA procurement, procurement methods and lead times, complaints mechanism, and budget circle.