The Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) has implored the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA), Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), and Mulungushi University Livingstone Campus to punish erring contract officers for failure to adhere to procurement regulations.
Speaking during the 2023 first quarter briefing in Lusaka, ZPPA Director General Idah Chella says the execution of the contract to supply and deliver 65,000 column face bricks did not take adequate steps to avoid cancellation or termination of the local purchase order.
Mrs. Chella adds that Midas Trades, a Supplier, complained about a decision by the tertiary institution to award a different supplier to construct a library and one-by-three classroom blocks at Mulungushi University Livingstone Campus while having a running contract.
She adds that the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) complained that a supplier failed to supply the desktops as specified in the contract when in fact the contract officer failed to adhere to regulations in the procurement of computers and laptops by section 105 (4) of the Public Procurement Act.
Meanwhile, a Zambia Development Agency official was a shareholder of a security service provider for the Agency without declaring interest when appointed as contractor’s manager for the same contract.
By Shem Malinda