23 Jul The Public Procurement Act: The 5 Key Points of Relevance to Black-owned MAC Agencies
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed 2 pieces of legislation into law earlier today, which you must know about as a Black-owned MAC agency:
- The Public Procurement Act
- The National Small Enterprise Amendment Act
In this post, I summarise the 5 key points related to the Public Procurement Act.
- Single Regulatory Framework:
Before this new act, legislation for preferential procurement was fragmented. The existing procurement regulations are indeed spread across multiple laws, including the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act of 2000 and the State Tender Board Act of 1968, among others. This fragmentation has led to inconsistencies and complexities in the procurement process, which is a recognized issue in South African governance. The consequence of this new Act is the establishment of a single framework for regulating public procurement across all state organs, replacing fragmented existing legislation. It aims to unify standards and norms for procurement practices among national departments, provincial departments, municipalities, and public entities.
- Preferential Procurement Policy:
The Act prescribes a framework for implementing preferential procurement policies. This is designed to promote the advancement of individuals or groups historically disadvantaged by unfair discrimination, thereby addressing economic inequalities in South Africa.
- Transparency and Accountability:
The legislation emphasizes fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective procurement processes. It includes measures to prevent abuse of the procurement system, requiring strict compliance and accountability from procurement officials.
- Dispute Resolution Mechanism:
A significant feature of the Act is the introduction of a dispute resolution mechanism. This allows bidders who are dissatisfied with procurement decisions to seek reconsideration from the procuring institution and provides for the establishment of a Public Procurement Tribunal to review these decisions. This new structure will make it easier and less costly in cases where the awarding of bids is called into question by the losing bidders.
- Repeal of Previous Legislation:
The Act repeals several older statutes, including the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act of 2000, to streamline and modernize procurement regulations. This aims to facilitate a more effective implementation of preferential procurement policies and enhance the overall procurement process.
The 5 points above highlight the Public Procurement Act’s focus on creating a more equitable procurement environment in South Africa, aimed at rectifying persisting injustices in the country’s economic landscape.
To you and I as Black-owned MAC agencies, our role in strengthening the efficacy of this new law is in using it when we believe the provisions of the Act are not adhered to by taking our grievances to the Public Procurement Tribunal.
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