Govt urged to speed up ESP procurement

Isaac Pinielo | Friday May 13, 2016 10:06

Goitsemang Morekisi, coordinator of the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) says delays in making payments breeds corruption tendencies among bidders who inflate costs as a mark-up for delays.

“Government procurement takes long, putting contractors under pressure that at times they end up wanting to pay to get help,” she told delegates at a  special annual general meeting of the Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association (BEMA) in Gaborone this week. She also called for the establishment of enablers for the ESP that will assist in speeding up the implementation process.

Morekisi said ESP and the Economic Diversification Drive (EDD) should be incorporated into the invitation to tender (ITT), adding that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was important in the procurement process. “In order for ESP to work, there has to be reinvention of the government to create a conducive environment for the private sector,” she noted. According to Morekisi, the ESP is meant to boost economic growth in response to the continued low economic growth rates.

 To this end, she said government would use expenditure to boost economic growth through accelerated implementation of projects, while creating jobs and ultimately employment opportunities mainly through enhanced private sector participation across the country.

“The bulk of implementation will start during the 2016/7 financial year through to the 18/19 financial year,” said Morekisi.

She said government would make bold decisions where necessary to change what needed to be changed for effective delivery of public services, adding that the programme calls for all implementing entities to ensure that the benefits of the ESP are realised by citizens of the country. “A programme to re-invent government has therefore started and some actions have already been taken to smoothen the processes,” she said.

She also said that implementing entities would work closely with relevant stakeholders such as Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) to ensure that ESP was reserved for citizen-owned companies in line with the Citizen Economic Empowerment Policy of 2012.

She said the success of the implementation of these initiatives would be achieved through increased citizen participation as government would provide a conducive environment for ease of doing business.

“Private sector or businesses should therefore, in their respective areas, be ready to be part of the equation as government would need their services,” said Morekisi.