Mozambique

Gaps in the Public Procurement Legal Framework

• Issue: The legal framework needs further strengthening, particularly in areas such as appeal and sanction mechanisms, bid security, and advertising requirements​.
• Recommendations:
  • Address gaps in the legal framework by clarifying appeal and sanction mechanisms.
  • Simplify bid security and advertising requirements to enhance accessibility.
  • Develop and update standard bidding documents (SBDs) and bid evaluation reports for more effective implementation.

Lack of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) Strategy

• Issue: Mozambique lacks a national policy or strategy for implementing sustainable public procurement, limiting its potential contribution to the sustainable development agenda​.
• Recommendations:
  • Develop a Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) strategy in consultation with stakeholders.
  • Ensure that sustainability criteria (economic, social, and environmental) are incorporated at all stages of the procurement cycle.

Weak Institutional Capacity and Resources for UFSA

• Issue: UFSA, as the lead procurement agency, lacks sufficient authority, staffing, and financial resources, affecting its ability to oversee and enforce procurement regulations​.
• Recommendations:
  • Increase UFSA’s authority within the procurement system.
  • Strengthen UFSA’s staffing and funding to support training, enforcement, and monitoring functions.

Limited Integration of Procurement with Public Financial Management (PFM) System

• Issue: Procurement is not well integrated into the budget planning and execution process, leading to inefficiencies​.
• Recommendations:
  • Strengthen coordination between procurement and treasury planning to improve funding allocation.
  • Expand the use of electronic systems to integrate procurement with financial management.

Procurement Not Recognized as a Profession

• Issue: Procurement is not formally recognized as a specialized profession, and certification programs are lacking​.
• Recommendations:
  • Develop certification programs for procurement officials.
  • Establish career paths for procurement professionals within government agencies.

Limited Market Engagement and Private Sector Participation

• Issue: Procurement procedures are not well-aligned with market conditions, discouraging supplier participation​.
• Recommendations:
  • Conduct regular market research to align procurement plans with supplier capacity.
  • Improve engagement with private sector stakeholders to enhance competition.

Weak Contract Management and Monitoring

• Issue: Contract management is one of the weakest aspects of procurement, leading to inefficiencies and delays​.
• Recommendations:
  • Develop standard operating procedures for contract management.
  • Implement a contract monitoring system and enforce regular reporting to UFSA.

High Fragmentation in Public Procurement

• Issue: Procurement is highly fragmented, increasing transaction costs and reducing efficiency​.
• Recommendations:
  • Encourage joint procurement and framework agreements for common goods and services.
  • Reduce unnecessary fragmentation by streamlining procurement processes.

Weak Appeal and Sanction Mechanisms

• Issue: There is no independent administrative appeals body, and the debarment process lacks transparency​.
• Recommendations:
  • Establish an independent procurement appeal body to improve accountability.
  • Clarify debarment procedures and ensure transparency in enforcement.

Limited Public Access to Procurement Information

• Issue: Procurement information is not systematically published, reducing transparency and oversight​.
• Recommendations:
  • Mandate public disclosure of procurement data through an open-access platform.
  • Improve data collection and reporting mechanisms for procurement transparency.

Low Awareness and Engagement of Civil Society in Procurement Oversight

• Issue: Civil society organizations (CSOs) have limited involvement in procurement monitoring and oversight​.
• Recommendations:
  • Increase CSO engagement by providing access to procurement data.
  • Conduct awareness campaigns to encourage citizen participation in procurement integrity initiatives.