| Year of assessment | 2023-2024 |
| Date of publication | February 2025 |
| Country procurement volume | 3.2 billion USD (2017) |
| Principal organisation | Ministry of Finance and Planning (MoFP) |
| Main partners | World Bank (WB) |
Tanzania
Recognizing the central role that public procurement plays in public service delivery, financial management, and sustainable development, this MAPS MAIN assessment resulted in recommendations targeting sustainable procurement practices, improved institutional efficiency, strengthened procurement oversight, and enhanced transparency.
Share
LinkedIn
Youtube
Quick facts
Background
Why was a MAPS assessment initiated?
The Government of Tanzania (GoT) initiated this assessment to develop a reform plan for building a sustainable, effective, and efficient public procurement system. The assessment aimed to identify gaps, benchmark against international standards, and provide recommendations.
Who initiated the assessment?
The assessment was initiated by the Government of Tanzania through the Ministry of Finance and Planning, with support from international partners such as the World Bank.
Brief description of the country procurement system
- Degree of centralization: The procurement system is decentralized, with Procuring Entities (PEs) managing their own procurement. The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) provides oversight.
- Regulation level: The system is highly regulated, governed by the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2023, which replaced the PPA 2011.
- Supranational regulations: The system aligns with international best practices but is not subject to specific supranational procurement regulations.
Additional relevant context:
The assessment comes at a time when Tanzania is expanding its e-procurement system (NeST), implementing sustainable procurement practices, and strengthening institutional capacity.
Main results and impact
- Issue: Limited implementation of sustainable public procurement (SPP).
- Recommendations:
- Develop a national strategy for SPP and incorporate it into procurement laws.
- Ensure full integration of green procurement policies to align with sustainability goals.
- Implement monitoring tools to track SPP compliance.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Gaps in evaluation criteria for procurement.
- Recommendations:
- Improve evaluation methodologies to consider both price and non-price factors.
- Introduce life-cycle cost analysis in procurement decision-making.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Weak enforcement of procurement regulations.
- Recommendations:
- Strengthen compliance monitoring by PPRA.
- Ensure penalties for non-compliance are enforced consistently.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Delays in procurement processes due to financial constraints.
- Recommendations:
- Ensure timely disbursement of funds to PEs.
- Streamline bureaucratic approval processes for payments.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Limited capacity for procurement monitoring and oversight.
- Recommendations:
- Expand training programs for procurement auditors.
- Improve data tracking mechanisms in NeST for real-time monitoring.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Limited coordination between procurement institutions.
- Recommendations:
- Establish regular inter-agency coordination meetings.
- Enhance data sharing between PPRA, PPAA, and audit institutions.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Inadequate procurement training for public officials.
- Recommendations:
- Implement mandatory procurement training for all government officials involved in procurement.
- Develop e-learning modules on procurement regulations.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Lengthy tender evaluation and award process.
- Recommendations:
- Reduce evaluation time through automated processes in NeST.
- Implement standardized templates for tender documentation.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Limited participation of women-led businesses and SMEs.
- Recommendations:
- Implement set-aside programs for SMEs and women-led businesses.
- Conduct capacity-building workshops to support SME participation.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Poor contract management and monitoring.
- Recommendations:
- Develop a contract management module in NeST.
- Establish performance tracking indicators for procurement contracts.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Cost estimates in tender documents do not always reflect market conditions.
- Recommendations:
- Introduce a cost estimation module in NeST to improve pricing accuracy.
- Require PEs to conduct market analysis before issuing tenders.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Weak procurement complaints and appeals system.
- Recommendations:
- Strengthen the appeals mechanism in NeST for real-time tracking of complaints.
- Ensure all procurement-related grievances are resolved within a set timeframe.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Inconsistent enforcement of anti-corruption measures.
- Recommendations:
- Implement AI-powered risk assessment tools to detect fraud.
- Introduce mandatory ethics training for procurement officials.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Limited transparency in procurement audits.
- Recommendations:
- Publish procurement audit reports online for public access.
- Ensure external audits are conducted regularly.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Low public engagement in procurement oversight.
- Recommendations:
- Strengthen civil society participation in procurement monitoring.
- Improve access to procurement data through open data platforms.
- Recommendations: