PPCC solicits Stakeholders’ Inputs to Strengthen Public Procurement Laws

The Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), Bodger Scott Johnson, along with some staff and the legal team constituted to draft the new public procurement law, convened a stakeholders’ engagement at two separate locations in Liberia to validate the draft Public Procurement and Concessions Act. 

The engagement was held concurrently in Ganta, Nimba County, and Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, from September 28-29, 2023. 

During a formal ceremony to mark the official start of the exercise in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, the Chief Executive Officer, Bodger Scott Johnson, recounted the gains made with the implementation of the Public Procurement and Concessions Act of Liberia, and also provided explanation on how the gains have been able to impact the fight against corruption. 

Mr. Johnson mentioned the ongoing public procurement modernization effort, compliance monitoring, revision/drafting of the new public procurement legislation and the intense public awareness engagement to popularize the work of the PPCC, as few of the many gains/achievements of the PPCC.

He narrated that the Buchanan and Ganta gatherings were mainly designed to solicit the inputs of stakeholders in the draft PPC Act before it is finalized and legislated. The PPCC boss cited the public procurement modernization effort, sustainable public procurement and other new developments in the public procurement circle as those issues that are under discussion in the draft law.   

Mr. Johnson challenged the stakeholders to do a comprehensive review of the draft document and make inputs, where necessary, to strengthen the procurement laws, so as to ensure value for public money in public procurement. 

The validation exercise was attended by county superintendents and their deputies, heads of local universities, technical colleges, procurement directors and technicians, private sector businesses and civil society organizations. 

The Ganta and Buchanan validation engagement will be proceeded by another exercise scheduled to take place in Monrovia in the first week of October 2023, where key stakeholders, including ministers, heads of procurement committees of ministries, agencies, commissions and state-owned enterprises, private sector businesses, civil society organizations, international partner organizations and the media are expected to attend the exercise and make inputs.     
   
The revision of the Public Procurement and Concessions Act of 2010 is an initiative of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission, primarily designed to upgrade and incorporate new developments in the public procurement eco-system, such as electronic government procurement(E-GP), sustainable procurement and gender responsive procurement. 

The World Bank is funding the initiative through the Public Financial Management Reform for Institutional Strengthening Project (PFMRISP), based in the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.