The Rwanda Public Procurement Authority (RPPA) has warned entrepreneurs against flouting procurement rules. The warning was made during a one-day consultative meeting that brought together RPPA officials and district officials from the Eastern Province yesterday. Theoneste Hitimana, an RPPA official, said the new procurement law punishes connivance with bidders or disclosure of technical specifications before the tender is published. “Performance guarantees are forged by private entrepreneurs and accepted by equally corrupt procurement officers,” he added. Hitimana further said that crafty businesspersons would be blacklisted alongside their spouses and those under their patronage. RPPA banned over 90 companies from participating in bidding over irregularities in 2013. The Governor of Eastern Province, Odette Uwamariya reiterated the importance of observing procurement rules. “There are situations where government procurement officers take part in bidding processes. This must end, ” she added. Flouting procurement procedures is punishable by one to six years imprisonment or fine twice the money involved.
