Members of the Association of Procurement Professionals in Rwanda (APPR) have been tipped on professionalism to ensure value for money in public procurement.

The call was made during the association’s inaugural annual general assembly on Friday. In the past public procurement was marred by cases of unprofessionalism, ranging from forgery to corruption.

Last year, the annual Auditor General’s report showed that 180 contractors were blacklisted from applying for any public tenders over forgery of bidding documents before the e-procurement system was introduced.

With the inception of e-procurement, the association should take the lead in embracing it to ensure that the public procurement sector is fully streamlined to stump out irregularities.

The association should work closely with key stakeholders so that only those registered and vetted by the body are allowed to practice or compete for public tenders.

Any person who contravenes the rules and regulations that govern the procurement profession should be subjected to punitive measures.

The procurement profession is key to achieving national transformation and the process should not be compromised to put tax payers’ money at risk.

The association should offer capacity building to its members, which will enable them enhance professionalism, honesty and transparency in public procurement.

The association should also take a lead in mobilising public procurement sector players to increasingly embrace the e-procurement system that guarantees a high level of transparency in the bidding process.

Procurement professionals should take advantage of the measures taken to streamline the sector. If the rules and regulations governing the procurement profession are fully enforced, there will be efficiency in public tendering and execution of public works like construction of roads on time.

A well streamlined public procurement sector is a stimulus for efficient service delivery in the public sector.