Introduction neither purchasing agencies nor bidders to deviate

from the public procurement process. In this way,

Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) is an e-GP helps governments to reduce opportunities for
independent statutory regulatory body established corruptive practices.
by the Public Procurement Act (PPA) No. 12 of 2008
of the laws of Zambia and is responsible for policy, Economic Development
regulation, standard setting, compliance and per-
formance monitoring, professional development The level of transparency, compliance, performance
and information management and dissemination in and quality of public procurement due to the appli-
the field of public procurement. cation of the e-GP will achieve a dimension which
does not only provide for the development of a
The Authority will be rolling out the electronic Gov- public procurement system that meets internation-
ernment Procurement System (e-GP) meant to ally recognized standards but also establishes the
enhance transparency and accountability in public Benefits of the e-GP System basis for a sound market economy with significant
procurement in various procuring entities (PEs) and gains in productivity and competitiveness.
the exercise is being done in a phased approach. The The Electronic Government Procurement System
Authority will pilot the system in some PEs before provides some of the following benefits to PEs, e-GP advantages are becoming more evident as
rolling out to all ministries and provinces. bidders, suppliers, ZPPA and Civil Society Organisa- the wider understanding of its many uses become
tions: apparent. The main reason companies have
What is Electronic Government Procure- embraced e-procurement is to increase productiv-
1. Easy creation and management of Tenders by ity, provide visibility into day-to-day transactions
ment System (e-GP)? P.Es; and make it easier for users to get the supplies that
Electronic – Government Procurement (e-GP) is the they need promptly.
2. Greater transparency through the automated
use of information and Communications Technology publication of Tenders and Contract awards;
(especially the internet) by governments in conduct- Some of the advantages of e-procurement are as
ing their procurement transactions with suppliers follows:
3. On-line submission of Tenders through the
for the acquisition of goods, works and consultancy internet and standalone applications; and
services required by the public sector.
a. Reducing costs
4. Simplify the publication of information to Costs are reduced by leveraging volume, having
What does e-GP entail? Bidders, Suppliers and the general public. structured supplier relationships and by using
system improvements to reduce external spending
e-Procurement involves electronic data transfers
e-GP Developmental impact while improving quality and supplier performance.
to support operational, tactical and strategic pro-
e-procurement eliminates paperwork, rework and
curements. e-Procurement has been around for e-GP facilitates higher quality outcomes for public minimise errors.
much longer than the term itself which first came procurement through improved accessibility and
into use after the establishment of the internet in transparency. b. Visibility of spending
the 1990s. From the 1960s until the mid 1990s, E-
procurement primarily took the form of electronic Enhanced Transparency and Compliance Centralized tracking of transactions enables full
data interchange (EDI). Modern e-procurement is reporting on requisitions, items purchased, orders
supported by internet technologies and is becoming The application of online technologies can ensure processed and payments made. e-Procurement ad-
more prevalent. compliance with the existing procurement policy vantages extend to ensuring compliance to existing
and legislation. An e-GP System can automate the and established contracts.
required procurement procedures thus allowing
 c. Productivity
Internal customers can obtain the items they want
from a catalogue of approved items through an
on-line requisition and ordering system. Procure-
ment staff will be able to structure the processing of
orders for low value transactions as well as strategic
sourcing and improving supplier relationships.

d. Controls
Standardised approval processes and formal Contact Details
workflows ensure that the correct level of authorisa-
tion is applied to each transaction and that spending The Director General
is directed to draw off planned procurements as Zambia Public Procurement Authority.
budgeted. Compliance to policy is improved as
users can quickly locate products and services from P.O. Box 31009
preferred suppliers and will be unable to create
maverick purchases. Stand No. J-11790

e. Using technology
Off Alick Nkhata Road, Longacres ELECTRONIC
LUSAKA
E-GP advantages can only be fully realised when the
systems and processes to manage it are in place. GOVERNMENT
Software tools are needed to create the standard
procurement documentation as follows: Tel: +260 211 250 632/42/87 PROCUREMENT
a) Electronic Requests for Information (e-RFI); Fax: +260 211 250 633

b) Requests for Proposal (e-RFP); and Email: info@zppa.org.zm

SYSTEM
c) Requests for Quotations (e-RFQ). www.zppa.org.zm.

These are proven methods of solicitations for offers

for the supply of goods, works and services.

At full implementation, the E-GP System will promote

transparency, fairness, openness and accountabil-
ity in public procurements as most of the bidding
transactions will be done in the open thus removing
corrupt tendencies.