OFFICIALS FROM RUVUMA-BASED COUNCILS TRAINED ON NEW E-PROCUREMENT

Tarehe ya kuwekwa: August 29th, 2023

By Alex Nelson Malanga

Information Officer----MTC

Mbinga. In what could be described as the government’s seriousness and desire to shift to a new e-procurement, officials from all councils in Ruvuma Region are being trained on how to use the new purchasing system.  

A five-day training on the National E-Procurement System of Tanzania (NeST) that kicked off yesterday, was officiated by the Ruvuma Regional acting Administrative Secretary, Mr Jumanne Mwankhoo.

The training that will go through Friday, September 1, is coordinated by the Ruvuma Regional Commissioner’s Office in collaboration with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).  

The shifting to NeST that is meant to phase out the Tanzania Electronic Procurement System (TANePS), paves a way for companies and institutions to participate in the tendering process online.

Conducted at the Mbinga Town Council (MTC)’s Oddo Mwisho Conference Room, the training involves six officials from each council.

The councils that are being referred to are Mbinga Town, Mbinga District, Songea Municipal, Songea District, Namtumbo, Tunduru, Nyasa and Madaba.

Mr Mwankhoo said since NeST strengthens and simplifies issues related to public procurement and tendering, the government will ensure that the new system is successful.

For it to happen, he was of the view that after the completion of the training, the participants should be teachers of other public servants so that the new system could be well understood by the majority.

“Previously, it was only the Procurement Department that was required to use TANePS, but with the new system, all departments are obliged to embrace e-procurement,” underscored Mr. Mwankhoo.

It is on those grounds, he urged the participants who got a rare opportunity to take part in the training, to be good ambassadors of the NeST

One of the facilitators of the training, Mr Piniel Mbura, said the new e-procurement system will scale up public institutions’ efficiency.

Using the new system, he expounded, the institutions will stand a chance to get products and or services in a short period of time from PPRA and or other institutions.

“All will be available in the new system. There will be no need for going here and there for the service,” said Mr. Mbura.  

The government’s decision to phase out TANePS was triggered by its inefficiencies that drew complaints from the users.

Until June this year, some 37,445 bidders and 866 public institutions were using TANePS.

“This system had frequent technical problems” he stressed.

He went on to add: “Unlike the old system, NeST is user friendly.”

He concluded by saying that with effect from October 1, 2023 no public procurement will be made using the old system.