Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) has announced of an e-procurement development, that will see a reduction in human interface, an increase in transparency and minimised corruption in procurement and supply chain management.

The PPDA director general Elias Hausi, outlined that the Authority will first enhance its website to be used as a portal, where procuring entities can deposit their invitation for bids so that everybody should be able to see them online to achieve greater transparency.

“The electronic system will link procuring entities and reduce human interface because procurement decisions are going to be made based on data and not a person,” he said, adding that the World Bank is funding the project.

The development has been announced, following a call for procurement transparency by the central bank. During the opening of the Malawi Institute of Procurement and Supply (Mips) Annual Lakeshore Conference, the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) Governor Dalitso Kabambe called for efficient and effective procurement practices to curb misuse of public funds. Kabambe urged procurement professionals to be diligent in safeguarding the prevailing macro-economic stability and endeavour to work hard towards attaining strong prospects of economic growth and sustainable levels of public debt.