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The Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) has issued guidelines on Constituency Development Fund (CDF) procurements for planning and reservation schemes, among others.
Issuance of these guidelines is meant to clarify CDF issues and enhance public procurement processes under CDF in ZPPA Circular No.1 of 2023.
ZPPA Director General Idah Chella issued guidelines on procurement planning under reservation schemes, community participation method of procurement, limited bidding of procurement, and eligibility for participation in public procurement and capacity building.
Challa advised local authorities to plan and submit their plans on how they intend to undertake procurements under CDF.
She said this should be done by clearly outlining the procurement methods, dates for the salient events in the procurement processes and outlining items that will be reserved for the citizens within the localities of the constituencies.
“Section 91(1) (c) and 91(2) (b) of the Public Procurement Act allows procuring entities to set aside or reserve procurements for target groups or citizens within specified localities such as suppliers within constituencies.
“Local authorities have therefore, been encouraged to ensure that procurements under CDF are reserved for the suppliers in the constituencies in line with the Government policy on CDF,” Chella said in a statement issued on Friday in Lusaka.
She stated that this was in accordance with Section 91(2) which provided that a target group for any preference or reservation scheme would be determined in accordance with Government economic and social policies.
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Chella explained that this may include citizen or local suppliers, goods, works or services manufactured in or provided from the Republic or a particular region or performed by citizens or persons from a particular region, and citizen suppliers in a particular industry or economic sector;
Others are small and medium enterprises, enterprises owned by women, youth, or person with disabilities; or any other group designated by Government Policy.
“Where potential to offer services, perform works or supply goods lies within the communities of the Local Authorities, section 53 of the Public Procurement Act and regulations 52-58 of the Public Procurement Regulations, 2022 allows the procuring entities to engage the local community or Non-Governmental Organisations such as co-operatives for the provision of the requirements.
“However, where this method is applied, quality, timeliness and delivery should not be compromised,” Challa said.
Ms Chella also guided that the Public Procurement Regulations through regulation 36 allowed procuring entities to limit participation in a tender through Limited Bidding to specific target groups such as citizens living in a particular locality/ constituency in order to achieve specific social objectives.
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