Cabinet Amends GPPA Act to Reduce Sole-Sourcing of Projects

The executive cabinet of the Gambian government has reviewed and amended the Gambia Public Procurement Act (GPPA) on Tuesday which will reduce the sole-sourcing of million-dalasi projects, the finance minister, Mambury Njie told journalists at State House.

The amendment also included how the government plans to control the GPPA to ensure that it always complies with the Act.

“Right now, the GPPA is the judge and the juror, so our intention in the medium term is to separate the functions of the GPPA so that it becomes more effective and more efficient. It also includes reducing sole-sourcing to make sure the projects will not be solely-sourced anymore.”

“We are going to have a new independent agency that will be able to review whatever the GPPA is doing. They will be acting to make sure whatever the GPPA is doing is in compliance with the Act,” Njie told the media.

According to him, the projects that are affected by the new sole-sourcing amendment will include big infrastructure projects, the power plant, big roads, bridges that are valued at millions of dalasis. He said the government will introduce a ceiling to determine the worth of projects that fall under the category of sole-sourcing.

The GPPA Act was last amended in 2018. In Tuesday’s amendment, it also includes the electronic procurement and the gender, youth, women and disabled persons that should be able to benefit.