Procurement Board and review panel sworn in

The Procurement Board was sworn in by Judge President Petrus Damaseb in the High Court yesterday.

Also present at the ceremony was finance minister Calle Schlettwein who said the board was important in order to make sure that public funds are spent accordingly. “We want to make sure that those funds achieve the best outcomes,” said Schlettwein.

The new board has taken over from the outgoing Tender Board as from 1 April this year, and is responsible for handling government contracting as the primary authority.

The board is the main governance body and consists of nine members, of which Patrick Swartz was appointed as chairperson and the deputy chairperson is Lischen Ramakutla. Both will hold their positions, full time for five years, while the other seven members will be employed on a part-time basis on three-year contracts.

Swartz said for the board to start the procurement process various public entities should start the procedure. “I should make it clear that we do not start a procedure on our own… it needs to come from various public entities,” said Swartz.

Shona Ngava