Proudly SA tender monitoring system to ensure compliance

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Published May 29, 2017

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Johannesburg – Proudly South African announced on Monday that it has developed an innovative, in-house tender tracking system to monitor government's compliance with its own mandate to make local procurement a priority.

Proudly SA's chief executive, Eustace Mashimbye, said the system trawls the websites of all three spheres of government, their agencies and entities, giving the IT team full access to the terms of reference of all Request For Quotes (RFQs) and Request For Proposals (RFPs).

The software then delivers an email alert for each and every tender of those designated items using key words to identify goods and services that could be produced, manufactured and/or supplied by a South African company.

Both Mashimbye and the IT team acknowledge the assistance and input from the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) who implemented a similar programme in their sector with great results.

"[The system] allows us to contact the procurement officer for each tender in the designated sectors and ensure that they prioritise local companies supplying locally manufactured goods or services in their evaluation of submissions," Mashimbye said.

"Secondly, it allows us to notify our own member companies who qualify to tender, to pitch for the business, thus adding to our members’ value proposition."

The amended regulations of the 2017 Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFMA) require that all relevant organs of state purchase only locally produced products in certain sectors and sub-sectors at a prescribed level of local content. 

But compliance remains an issue.

The Proudly SA tender monitoring system flags award dates and allows an officer at Proudly South African to follow up to ensure compliance with legislation.

Mashimbye said if any government department or entity is found to be in breach of any legislation or the terms and conditions of the original tender, "they will be reported to the appropriate authorities and the tender may be declared null and void and be withdrawn".

Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, commended Proudly South African for its pro-active stance on ensuring that government tenders favour South African companies.

"I commend Proudly South African for assisting us in this regard, and we look forward to growing the contribution government can make to the GDP through local procurement," Davies said.

African News Agency

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