A senior official from the Auditor General’s office has revealed that 63 vehicles, including three buses, and advance payments totaling US$2.3 million and ZWL$1.7 billion made by various public entities over the past three years remain undelivered due to issues with poor governance.
Maxwell Makotore, the Director of Audit, also reported that public institutions have yet to receive 167 laptops and various office furniture items, some of which have been pending since 2020.
Makotore questioned why contractual provisions for non-performance by suppliers have not been enforced. His remarks came during a recent two-day workshop organized by the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) at a lodge near Masvingo, where he presented the Auditor General’s 2023 public procurement audit findings.
He expressed serious concerns about governance issues, asset management, revenue collection, debt recovery, employment, service delivery, and procurement practices affecting local authorities and other government entities.
Audits revealed failures in following tender procurement procedures, with missing payment vouchers, delivery notes, and other supporting documents.
Issues highlighted included suppliers missing delivery deadlines, breaching contracts by not delivering the correct number of vehicles, and delivering vehicles that did not meet the approved specifications.
There was also ineffective contract management, with provisions for addressing supplier non-performance not being utilized. Additionally, inappropriate procurement methods and direct procurement without proper justification were noted.
The workshop aimed to promote a culture of good governance in procurement and was attended by 90% of public entities, including CEOs and board members. The theme was “Collaborative Governance: Building Partnerships for Effective Public Procurement and Corporate Governance.”
Makotore reported 21 issues in the current year’s local authorities’ report, including non-delivery of goods, failure to address bids as non-responsive due to non-compliance with tax or social security obligations, and unsupported procurement with missing quotations, invoices, delivery notes, receipts, and payment vouchers.
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