By Grace Q. Bryant
Public Procurement Concession Commission (PPCC) Executive Director, Bodger Johnson, has announced that the PPCC is getting close to concluding the development of a robust Electronic Governance Procurement system in Liberia
According to him, the e-GP system will be able to automate most of the manual procurement processes that are inherent with individual discretion, which are the greatest vulnerabilities and highest risks in public procurement. The system will allow for online submission and approval of major procurement documentation and enhance the bidding process through the online submission of bid documents.
Director Johnson spoke yesterday at MICAT regular press briefing, noting that an international software developer, European Dynamics, was contracted to develop the e-GP system on a Software-As-A-Service (SAAS)
He added that the e-GP system is expected to go live in July 2024 and will initially be piloted to six Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions, and subsequently be rolled out to the other entities of the Liberian Government.
“It will have linkages with other online platforms, including the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), revenue portal of Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Liberia Business Registry, NASCORP, and the banking sector,” he revealed.
PPCC boss added that the law has been drafted and is undergoing stakeholders’ validation, intended to do stock-taking of the stakeholders’ experiences with the pack, implementation, and make recommendations for further actions and improvement.
Johnson explained that the PPCC is currently working with international development partners, and different stakeholder groups, to revise the Public Procurement and Concessions Act of 2010, and a group of Liberian lawyers and subject matter technicians from the PPCC were given the responsibilities to review the current law, and proposed starting first phase of the validation session was simultaneously held in Ganta, Nimba County, and Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, during the month of September 2023. The second phase of the exercise will be held from April 4-5, 2024.
Meanwhile, Johnson asserted that the work of the Commission continues to be challenged with several issues, including limited budget to effectively and efficiently regulate and monitor public procurement compliance nationwide, and the replacement or movement of trained procurement staff by procuring entities, among others, which, according to him, has resulted in procuring entities’ inability to timely spend their budgetary allocations, thereby creating procurement backlogs and delays in the development agenda of the Liberian Government.
