Injustice and corruption are still evident in the working relationship between the private sector and civil servants having finance and procurement in their attributions, the Senate heard this week. In a report submitted by the Senatorial Committee on Economic Development and Finance, the Senate was informed that though there are laws and institutions that fight injustice and corruption, the two vices still exist in some institutions, thus hindering the economic development of the nation. Spéciose Ayinkamiye, who heads the Committee, informed the Senate that there was still the major issue of tenders that are hurriedly prapared due to lack of prior planning and the results are shoddy since most procedures have not been followed. The Committee also discovered that there were clandestine dealings between Procurement Officers and suppliers in the issuing of proforma invoices during the tendering process and the access to details of information compiled within bid booklets prior to the tendering process. ”Advertising tenders in a hurry does not provide all the interested parties with enough time to prepare the bids and as a result, tenders are monopolised by those who have ilegally accessed prior information,” she said. Another issue that was raised in the report is the government’s failure to pay the suppliers in time as agreed within the tender laws. The Committee appealed to the responsible authorities to put in place a list of professional people and companies in the service and goods delivery that can be based on by all government institutions as a base when bidding. The National Tender Board was tasked with putting up a list of reference prices of materials and services that can be used as a model for all government institutions. The report came as result of several fact-finding missions to the Ombudsman’s Office, the Auditor General’s Office and the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority. Ends
