The document discusses the legal authority and personal liability of procurement officers according to the Public Procurement Act of 2005 and 2011 in Tanzania. It states that the Act establishes a Procurement Management Unit in every entity with various responsibilities including managing procurement activities, supporting the tender board, and maintaining procurement records. The Act also outlines offenses related to procurement that make individuals personally liable, such as providing false information, interfering with officers, or causing loss of public funds through negligence. Finally, it addresses the authority of supplier representatives in the tender process such as being present at tender openings.
2. INTRODUCTION
According to Public Procurement Act (2005 and 2011) and its
regulations they dont explain directly the legal authority of procurement
officer rather they explain the functions of PMU as the following:
Legal Authority of Procurement Officer
Section 37 Sub-section (1) explain that there shall be established in
every procuring entity a Procurement Management Unit staffed to an
appropriate level.
3. Section 38 analyse the Procurement Management
Unit shall the following authority.
(a) Manage all procurement and disposal by tender activities of the procuring entity
except adjudication and the award of contract;
(b) Support the functioning of the tender board;
(c) Implement the decisions of the tender board;
(d) Act as a secretariat to the tender board;
(e) Plan the procurement and disposal by tender activities of the procuring entity;
(f) Recommend procurement and disposal by tender procedures;
(g) Check and prepare statements of requirements;
(h) Prepare tendering documents;
4. (i) Prepare advertisements of tender opportunities;
(j) Prepare contract documents;
(k) Issue approved contract documents;
(l) Maintain and archive records of the procurement and disposal process;
(m) Maintain a list or register of all contracts awarded;
(n) Prepare monthly reports for the tender board;
(o) Prepare and submit to the management meeting quarterly reports on the
implementation of the annual procurement plan;
(p) Co-ordinate the procurement and disposal activities of all the departments of the
procuring entity; and
(q) Prepare other reports as may be required from time to time.
5. Personal Liability of Procurement Officer
103. No act or thing done by any member or by any
employee of the Authority or Appeals Authority shall, if
done or omitted bona fide in the execution or purported
execution of his duties as a member or as an employee of
the Authority or Appeals Authority, subject him to any
action, liability or demand of any kind. According to Public
Procurement Act (2005 and 2011) and its regulations the
following are the personal liability;
6. Section 104 (1) Offences
(a) A person who knowingly gives false or misleading information or evidence in
purported compliance with a summons issued under this Act;
(b) A person who contrary to this Act, interferes with or exerts undue influence on
any officer or employee of the Authority, Appeals Authority or procuring entity or
member of tender board in the performance of his functions or in the exercise of his
her power under this Act;
(c) A person who (c) open any sealed tender, including such tenders as may be
submitted through electronic system and any document required to be sealed, or
divulge their contents prior to the appointed time for the public opening of the
tender documents;
7. (d) A person who connives or colludes to commit a fraudulent, corrupt,
collusive, coercive or obstructive act as defined in section 3;
(e) A person who causes loss of public properties or funds as a result of
negligence in the implementation of this Act, commits an offence and on
conviction shall be liable to a fine of not less than ten million shillings
or to imprisonment for a term of not less than seven years or to both,
and in addition to the penalty imposed in this section, the court shall
order that the amount of loss incurred by the complainant be
compensated, failure of which, the court shall issue an order of
confiscation of personal property of the person convicted in order to
recover the loss.
8. Sub-section (2) A person who:
(a) without reasonable excuse fails or refuses to give information, produce any document, records or reports
required under section 18 or under the notice issued in accordance with subsection (3) of section 92;
(b) without reasonable excuse, fails or refuses to give information, produce any document, records or reports
required under subsection (2) of section 18 or under the notice issued in accordance with subsection (4) of
section 97;
(c) Delay without justifiable cause, the opening or evaluation of or the awarding of contract beyond the
prescribed period; or
(d) Contravenes or fails to comply with provisions of this Act, or regulations made under this Act, commits an
offence and on conviction is liable to a fine not exceeding ten million shillings or to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding three years or to both.
(3) Where a procuring entity consistently contravenes this Act, it shall, on the direction of the Authority, have its
procurement function transferred to the Agency until the Authority is satisfied that the causes of the
contravention have been rectified.
9. Authority of Suppliers Representatives.
According to Public Procurement Act (2005 and 2011) and its regulations explain the authority of
suppliers representative as following:
73.-(1) The Secretary of the tender board shall receive tenders using procedures set out in the
regulations made under this Act.
(2) The secretary to the tender board shall give each tenderer a receipt showing the time and the date
that the tenders were received, and any tender received after the deadline shall be returned unopened
to the tenderer.
(3) All tenders submitted before the deadline time and date for submission shall be opened in public,
in the presence of the tenderers or their representatives and other parties with a legitimate interest in
the tender proceedings and the tender opening shall take place at, or immediately after the deadline
time and date given in the tender documents for the receipt of the tenders and the names of all those
present at the tender opening and the organizations they represent shall be recorded by the Secretary
of the respective tender board.
10. (4) The names and addresses of each tender the total amount of each tender or and
of any alternative tenders, if they have been requested or permitted, shall be read
and recorded during the tender opening.
(5) Subject to the provisions of section 60(3), after the public opening of tenders,
information relating to e-examination, clarification and evaluation of tenders and the
recommendations concerning awards shall not be disclosed to tenderers or other
persons not officially concerned with the process until the notice of intention to
award a contract is notified to the tenderer who participated in the tender process.
(6) Information referred to in subsection (5) shall be made available to the Authority,
the Appeals Authority, accounting officer and to the Minister when that information
is so required.
11. Conclusion
By the conclusion it said that the procurement act of
2005 and 2011 is a light of all purchasing activities that
are practiced within the country so regulation and
principle should be followed in order to obtain the goal
which is nothing else except to achieve value for
money.