Angola

Public Accessibility of Procurement Laws and Regulations

• Issue: Public procurement laws, regulations, and policies are not easily accessible, making it difficult for stakeholders to understand and comply with procurement rules.
• Recommendations:
  • Ensure all procurement laws, regulations, and guidelines are published and regularly updated on the Public Procurement Portal.
  • Develop a user-friendly legal framework guide for stakeholders, including procuring entities, suppliers, and civil society.

Multi-Annual Budgeting for Procurement Alignment

• Issue: Procurement planning is hindered by the short-term orientation of Angola’s State General Budget, leading to inefficiencies in financial execution.
• Recommendations:
  • Adopt a multi-annual budgetary system to align strategic planning with procurement execution.
  • Strengthen the integration of procurement plans with budget allocations.

Regulating Public Procurement for State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)

• Issue: The legal framework does not provide clear guidance on the participation of SOEs in public procurement, leading to regulatory ambiguities.
• Recommendations:
  • Establish specific legal provisions defining the participation rules for SOEs in public procurement.
  • Ensure competitive neutrality by setting clear conditions under which SOEs can bid for public contracts.

Developing a Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) Strategy

• Issue: There is no formal strategy for integrating sustainability criteria into procurement processes.
• Recommendations:
  • Develop a national SPP strategy, including environmental, social, and economic sustainability goals.
  • Introduce guidelines for lifecycle costing methodologies and environmental award criteria in procurement.

Strengthening the National Public Procurement Service (SNCP)

• Issue: The SNCP lacks full independence and adequate resources, limiting its effectiveness as the central procurement authority.
• Recommendations:
  • Grant SNCP the status of an Independent Administrative Authority to ensure autonomy.
  • Increase SNCP’s budget, personnel, and technical capacity to improve procurement oversight.

Centralizing Procurement for Efficiency Gains

• Issue: The procurement system is fragmented, with inefficiencies in purchasing and contract management.
• Recommendations:
  • Conduct a feasibility study for a central purchasing agency to consolidate procurement functions.
  • Pilot central purchasing initiatives in key sectors such as health and infrastructure before full implementation.

Expanding and Enhancing the e-GP System

• Issue: The e-GP (electronic government procurement) system is underutilized, with only a small percentage of contracts processed electronically.
• Recommendations:
  • Fully deploy the e-GP system, ensuring all procurement phases (from planning to contract management) are digitized.
  • Develop a training program for procurement officers and suppliers to increase adoption of e-GP.

Professionalization of Procurement Personnel

• Issue: There is no structured career path or certification program for procurement officers, leading to skill gaps.
• Recommendations:
  • Establish mandatory training and certification programs for procurement professionals.
  • Define career development paths with performance indicators and continuous training requirements.

Market Engagement and Supplier Participation

• Issue: Supplier participation in public procurement is low, with only 5% of registered businesses engaging in public tenders.
• Recommendations:
  • Conduct sectoral market analysis to identify barriers to supplier participation and increase competition.
  • Simplify supplier registration and provide incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate.

Transparency in Procurement Processes

• Issue: Many procurement notices, contract awards, and key procurement documents are not published, reducing transparency.
• Recommendations:
  • Ensure mandatory publication of procurement plans, tenders, and contract awards on the e-GP platform.
  • Develop a public dashboard to monitor procurement data and performance metrics.

Strengthening Contract Management and Performance Monitoring

• Issue: There is poor tracking of contract execution, leading to delays and lack of accountability.
• Recommendations:
  • Fully implement the contract management module of the e-GP system for tracking contract performance.
  • Introduce performance-based contracting, linking payments to measurable service delivery outcomes.

Standardizing Procurement Documentation and Training

• Issue: Procuring entities frequently misuse standard bidding documents (SBDs), leading to inconsistencies.
• Recommendations:
  • Provide mandatory training on procurement documentation for procuring entities.
  • Develop a compliance monitoring mechanism to ensure proper use of standard procurement templates.

Enhancing Anti-Corruption Measures and Integrity Training

• Issue: While anti-corruption laws exist, enforcement is weak, and procurement personnel lack formal training in integrity practices.
• Recommendations:
  • Develop anti-corruption training programs for procurement officials and suppliers.
  • Implement a whistleblower protection system for reporting procurement fraud.

Improving Audit and Oversight Mechanisms

• Issue: Audit reports on procurement irregularities are not widely published, limiting public oversight.
• Recommendations:
  • Mandate the publication of procurement-related audit reports and enforcement actions.
  • Establish a tracking system to monitor the implementation of audit recommendations.

Public Engagement and Civil Society Monitoring

• Issue: Civil society and academia are not actively engaged in procurement oversight or policy discussions.
• Recommendations:
  • Involve civil society organizations (CSOs) in procurement monitoring and reform discussions.
  • Introduce citizen feedback mechanisms on public procurement performance.

Strengthening Procurement Appeals Mechanisms

• Issue: The current appeals process lacks independence and efficiency, discouraging suppliers from challenging unfair procurement decisions.
• Recommendations:
  • Establish an independent procurement review body to handle complaints.
  • Remove financial barriers (e.g., appeal fees) that discourage suppliers from filing complaints.