By: Mama A. Touray
In line with its mandate to ensure a transparent, fair, impartial, and competitive bidding process in public procurement, The Gambia Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC), in collaboration with the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA) and the Complaint Review Board, launched guidelines on promoting competition in public procurement on Thursday.
The guidelines aim to create awareness among procuring organizations and economic operators about public procurement methods, competition issues in public procurement, and complaint handling mechanisms.
The Director of Policy Procurement, Ibrahim Sanyang, stated that the unveiling of this guide on promoting competition in public procurement signifies a crucial step toward fostering transparency, fairness, and efficiency in procurement processes.
He added, “By combining the expertise of both organizations, we are reinforcing our commitment to upholding the principles of competition, consumer protection, and public procurement in The Gambia. This guide serves as a comprehensive resource, providing valuable insights and practical strategies to enhance competition within our procurement framework.”
Sanyang emphasized that in a rapidly evolving economic landscape, continuous adaptation and innovation are imperative to ensure that procurement practices remain equitable and conducive to the nation’s growth.
He urged all stakeholders to embrace this guide as a tool for driving positive change and promoting a culture of healthy competition in public procurement processes, saying, “Let us strive to uphold the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and efficiency as we work towards the collective prosperity of The Gambia.”
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of GCCPC, Amadou Ceesay, in his remarks, said that striking a balance between efficiency and competition in procurement is essential for organizations aiming to optimize their operations while maintaining competitiveness.
Ceesay added, “You cannot separate competition from procurement because without competition, there will be no procurement. Our collaboration with GPPA goes a long way because we have an MOU, and we are giving it meaning. This is not the first time; we jointly produced guidelines on how to detect bid rigging in public procurement four to five years ago, and this is our second collaboration.”
Amadou continued that it’s beneficial to establish strong relationships with suppliers by regularly evaluating their performance, negotiating favorable terms, seeking volume discounts, and further analyzing spending patterns to identify inefficiencies and address overspending areas.
The Director of Policy Operations at GPPA, Ibrahim Sanyang, made a presentation on the mandate and functions of GPPA, setting up a competitive procurement process, and complaint handling, while the Executive Secretary of GCCPC, Amadou Ceesay, made a presentation on the relationship between public procurement and competition.
