Tackling corruption in public procurement

WINDHOEK ELLANIE SMITThe Tender Board of Namibia says measures are being taken to stem the tide of corruption in the country's procurement process. This week, Tender Board Chairperson Ericah Shafudah, said companies whose work is flawed and found to be wanting would be blacklisted and prevented from further taking part in the tender process. Service providers who fail to perform accordingly will also have to pay back the money provided to it for the project. The only problem is that the Tender Board does not always know when these issues occur, said Shafudah.According to Shafudah, the Tender Board will introduce a new database and it will publish information on tenders that have been awarded by government. She said the database will contain relevant information with regards to awarded tenders, the companies that tenders were awarded to and those companies that were unsuccessful in their bid.It will also explain the reasons why a company was not awarded a tender, said Shafudah.She said the fact that reasons are not made public on why a company lost out on a tender contributes to speculation of corruption at the Tender Board.Shafudah, however, explained that a tender is awarded based on price, track record, financial stability and value for money and equity distribution.The price is not always the determining factor, said Shafudah.She further pointed out that speculation regarding the Tender Board being involved in corrupt activities is tarnishing the board's name.We want to know if there is any corrupt person on the board and we will inform the relevant authorities. The board's name is being tarnished and although the public thinks of it as being corrupt, this is not true.Shafudah added although procurement falls under the Tender Board, the board is not always in a position to know what is happening at the ministerial tender committees.That is where the recommendations are happening and people should therefore not conclude that it is the Tender Board that is corrupt, said Shafudah, who is also the Finance Permanent Secretary.

Tackling corruption in public procurement

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Namibian Sun 2026-06-12

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Tackling corruption in public procurement

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Namibian Sun 2026-06-12

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