The nominee Minister of State of Procurement, Adwoa Safo, has said her ministry will cooperate with the office of the Attorney General to sanction any entity found culpable of resorting to sole-sourcing in the award of government contracts.
Sole-sourcing has been criticised as a vehicle used by politicians to steal money from the public through the award of contracts.
Speaking at the Appointments Committee hearing on Monday, 27 March, the Dome Kwabenya lawmaker said: “The sanctions are provided for in section 92 of the public procurement act as amended and it so clear. It’s been reviewed in the amendment, the fine is now from a GHS1000 to GHS2500 or imprisonment for not less than five years, so the offence is already in the law. So we will work together with the Attorney General’s Department to ensure that people who are found or entities found to have flouted the procurement law are dealt with.”
She added that her ministry would ensure that “in procurement there will be fairness, non-discrimination, value for money, and, to a very large extent, integrity in the procurement processes and the only way to best champion the cause is through open, competitive tender”.
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
