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Some businesspeople assume their companies need PPADB like a fish needs water. It depends on your business goals and where you believe your business can flourish. Is the government in your target market or not? I used to hear the term “PPADB” used in business circles but I did not understand what it stood for. I could only wonder if we needed it as a business.
In this post, I am going to help you define PPADB. What it is, why it exists, and whether it is necessary for your business. PPABD covers a wide range of industries in Botswana and thus applies to all industries.
Register for PPADB
What is PPADB?
The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board ( PPADB) was established in 2002 as a result of an Act by parliament (Cap 42:08) of 2001. The aim was a major reformation of the government’s public procurement process. PPADB is a parastatal institution under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MFED).
Why is PPADB Important?
PPADB deals with several things including the growth of Botswana’s economy. The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board was set up to address the following concerns:
- High demand for procurement of goods and services by the public sector.
- A diverse demand and wide range of types of goods to be procured for the government.
- Overwhelming management of contractors, given the different types of contracts and industries.
- Managing the bidding process and separating donor-funding from non-donor funding projects. This created conflicts in reporting complicated procurement procedures.
- Local citizen-owned businesses were not involved in Public Procurement
- The government wanted to promote greater transparency, public accountability, and efficiency.
What does PPADB do?
PPADB is also responsible for contractor registration and management.
This includes:
- The board issues consistent tender bidding documents
- Inspection of tender documents before they are issued.
- Provides capacity building
- Compliance monitoring
- Providing overall advice on public procurement and asset disposal
The PPADB Mandate
To discharge its mandate the Board is empowered to:
- Promote an open competitive economy and procurement policies. To craft strategies that positively impact the domestic procurement policy and practices.
- Encourage standardization to promote cost reduction. This standardization will impact maintenance and technological effectiveness.
- Promote procurement practices that will reap the benefits of economies of scale
- Promote competition as the mechanism through which value for money can be achieved.
- Promote fair treatment of contractors providing works, supplies, and services to the government.
- Promote accountability and transparency
- Management of public procurement and disposal of public assets.
- Ensure integrity, fairness, and public confidence in the procurement and disposal process.
The PPADB mandate is:
- Adjudication
- Capacity Building
- Contractor Registration
Adjudication
The PPADB organization plays an important role in the Botswana government tender process. They help the Central Government in adjudication and awarding tenders to suitable vendors. This includes other institutions specified under the Act (Cap 42:08) of 2001 for the delivery of works, services, and supplies.
PPADB provides a wide range of services and products to help contractors who do business with the Botswana government.
These include:
- Publishing tender notices
- Conducting tender opening
- Considering tender evaluation reports from procuring entities
- Publishing award decisions
- Arbitrator for tender-related complaints
Capacity Building
The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal training program aims to build capacity. PPADB educates the relevant stakeholders about its requirements and regulations. They are also mandated to ensure best practices are followed and are internationally competitive.
PPADB procurement experts and contractors who are equipped with skills should be able to understand:
- The structure of the legal and regulatory framework for public procurement
- Procurement Planning
- Procedures, processes, and controls in tendering
- Public Procurement Principles
- Preparation of tender documents
- Evaluation, adjudication, and award of tenders
- Procurement debriefing
- Preparing winning bids
- Bid Protestation
Contractor Registration
The Board is required to register contractors intending to bid for Central Government contracts. The requirement only applies to contractors operating within Botswana. Currently, multinational companies are not required to register with PPADB.
Register for PPADB
How to Register for PPADB
PPADB registers and maintains a database of contractors. Contracts intending to bid for the Central Government are required to set up their profile on the system. You can do it yourself or ask your secretary to assist you.
Please note: The rule only applies to contractors operating within Botswana. Multinational companies are exempt from having to register with PPADB.
The Registration Process
The best way to get the through the PPAB registration process is to work with a business consulting agency or a certified company secretary. The PPADB registration process follows these simple steps:
- Choose the code category or Categories
- Pick form the listed PPADB Codes
- Check the minimum requirements for the codes you want
- Apply for the desired codes
- Wait for approval form the PPADB institution
PPADB Codes
The Public Procurement and asset disposal board uses codes to identify or categorize services or products. When Applying for a code there is a set breakdown of the appropriate industry and services your business offers.
How long does PPADB take to approve?
The PPADB approval turnaround time varies due to the fluctuations of application requests. At this point, I recommended waiting a least 10 working days.
Key Take Always
These are the take ways about PPADB:
- It is best for local businesses that want government contracts
- Promotes an open competitive economy and procurement policies.
- Encourages standardization to promote cost reduction.
- Promotes procurement practices that will reap the benefits of economies of scale.
- Promote competition as the mechanism through which value for money can be achieved.
- Promotes fair treatment of contractors.
- Promotes accountability and transparency.
