Procurement has to change totally

15 Jan 2013 - Blog

By Yasmin Shariff BD 2013

The issue on procurement (News April 5) is really very simple. The more complex the process, the larger the organisation and the more removed the client is from the purchasing — the more expensive it gets.

The current framework system is complex and alienates most companies as only large organisations can afford to enter the com- petition. Nimble, creative and small companies cannot get past the criteria for selection which demand a considerable turnover.

There is no reason why consultant fees for government work should not be fixed, so that the real competition is on the design, performance and delivery. Those making the selection need to be experienced and skilled at looking at the submissions, so that it is not a meaningless tick-box exercise and innovation can be under-stood.

Without an intelligent client we will continue to have unintelligent processes for procurement. Refining the procedure that is in place at the moment will only make matters worse. The aspiration that government work (40% of construction) should be farmed out to half a dozen large contracting organisations will be a disaster.

The system needs to be changed, not enhanced.

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