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CW report further underscores need for public procurement reform

Image by Freepik Corruption Watch’s recent Procurement Risk Trends 2023 report records the alarming rate at which state organs use the practice of deviations and contract expansions in public procurement, and not always for good purposes. While it clarifies that there may be perfectly valid reasons for deviating from a prescribed procurement procedure or for Read more >

Latest CW report tracks procurement risk trends

Corruption Watch (CW), working with procurement law expert Professor Geo Quinot of Stellenbosch University, released Procurement Risk Trends 2023, the third such report, following the first two that were published in 2021 and 2022, respectively. These reports, which cover the period between 2016 and 2023, specifically focus on trends in public procurement deviations and contract expansions. Read more >

PRWG issues statement on the Public Procurement Bill 2023

Issued by the Procurement Reform Working Group (PRWG) 11 September 2023 On 22 May 2023, the Public Procurement Bill [B 18-2023] was introduced into Parliament. The primary purpose of the Bill is to create a single piece of national legislation that regulates public procurement, including preferential procurement. This Bill stands to give effect to the Read more >

State of procurement disaster: a new license to loot

By Caroline JamesFirst published on amaBhungane Key Takeaways The state of disaster regulations confer wide discretion on state institutions to pursue emergency procurement to address the energy crisis There is no detail in the regulations about how emergency procurement processes will be effective or will be subject to sufficient oversight There is a need for Read more >

CSOs demand clarity, transparency in emergency procurement

As civil society organisations dedicated to building an accountable, democratic and capable state, the government’s new disaster management regulations are cause for alarm. The electricity crisis is destroying the livelihoods of our people. We believe that urgent action is needed to address it. The new emergency procurement provisions, however, threaten more corruption and inefficiency. The Read more >

Criminal justice partly responsible for empty tender defaulters register

Corruption Watch’s Procurement Watch (PW) tool is an invaluable resource for detailed monitoring of public procurement. By aggregating procurement data from reports submitted to National Treasury (NT) by all procuring organs of state, PW allows organisations and individuals to more easily pick up red flags relating to deviations and contract extensions in the public procurement sphere. Launched in October 2021, Read more >

Slow but sure: AG’s MI monitoring yielding results

Image: MM Sakonda & Associates On 13 May 2021 the MEC of health in the North West, Madoda Sambatha, first officially announced the opening of the Jouberton Healthcare Centre in Klerksdorp. This development was to be a major relief for a province which for years has been dogged by public healthcare controversies. A media release Read more >

Use of data for the public good is growing, albeit slowly

Public procurement is an area of governance that is particularly prone to corruption because it is the nexus of power, money, and decision-making. If any of those factors are abused, the losses for the state can be costly, and the gains for the corrupt substantial. Taxpayers have a right to know where their money goes, Read more >