Liberia’s Public Procurement Law undergoes legal Review
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Liberia’s Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) is working with international development partners to strengthen the existing legal framework that guides the conduct of public procurement and concessions awards processes in Liberia.
The current procurement law leaves limited or no rooms for the inclusion of electronic and sustainable procurement, which are basically the new innovations in the procurement ecosystem. The World Bank is funding the initiative which is expected to derive a draft legal framework that will replace the current Public Procurement and Concessions of Act.
To achieve these objectives, the PPCC, through its Chief Executive Officer, Jargbe Roseline Nagbe Kowo, constituted two working committees to do comprehensive reviews of the law, recommend changes, make additions, and propose new amendments for legislative enactment. The groups, namely: Technical Committee and Legal Committee, were mandated to commence work and derive the deliverables under the guidance of the PPCC.
With this mandate, the Technical committee, mostly composed of experienced and knowledgeable staff of the PPCC and two others from the Judicial Branch and Liberia Petroleum Refining Company(LPRC), undertook comprehensive reviews of the PPC Act and other subsidiary documents on procurement. The team identified major areas in the law for amendment consideration. It also advanced for legal amendment the newest innovations in the public procurement sector; namely: electronic and sustainable procurement. The Committee has since concluded its work and presented a detailed report that addresses the key findings and limitations of the existing PPCA.
Other supporting initiatives were also undertaken by the PPCC during the technical review period to enhance the review process. Two experience sharing engagements were held as part of efforts to obtain information from the Nigerian State of Kaduna and the Republic of Rwanda, relative to the development and working of the E-GP System. The State of Kaduna is using a cloud-based Software- As- A-Service (SAAS) model for their e-GP System, while the Rwandan e-GP system is based on customization and is stationed in Rwanda. Liberia has already adopted the SAAS model as a solution to its e-GP needs. The experience sharing engagement with the State of Kaduna and other Nigerian states that are implementing the E-GP SAAS solution was done through virtual means. Authorities of those states shared their experiences with the PPCC on the development and working of the e-GP system.
Unlike Kaduna, the PPCC team had a face-to-face engagement with the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority (RPPA). A detailed explanation about the development and workings of the e-GP system was made and a technical presentation on the functionality of the system was also delivered to enhance the understanding of the PPCC team.
The second layer of the review process has also commenced, with a thorough examination of the Technical Committee’s report and other pieces of legislations on public procurement. The work is expected to be concluded in December 2022, at which time a new legal framework (Draft) on public procurement and concessions awards will be presented to the Chief Executive Officer. The amended draft legal and regulatory framework shall make binding the E-procurement system as a conduit or enabler of public procurement in Liberia.