Allexer Namundjebo
Policy analysts say stricter qualification requirements introduced by the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) could limit the pool of eligible experts.
They raise concerns about how effective the reforms will be in improving procurement processes.
The CPBN recently introduced new measures for appointing Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) members.
These include mandatory qualifications recognised by the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA), police clearance certificates, structured training, and competency assessments.
According to CPBN spokesperson Johanna Kambala, the aim is to improve how public bids are evaluated.
Kambala said the strengthened procedures are aimed at promoting integrity, fair dealing, transparency and efficiency in the public procurement process.
Policy analyst Martha Simon said the tighter requirements may create unintended challenges.
“If the same individuals are repeatedly appointed, it may create risks of familiarity and potential collusion,” she said.
She added that the success of the reforms will depend on how well they are enforced.
“The real test is not the rules themselves, but whether they are consistently enforced. Without independent oversight and real consequences for non-compliance, even well-designed procedures risk becoming symbolic,” Simon said.
Simon also raised concerns about political interference and called for safeguards to ensure independence in decision-making.
She said the public should have access to procurement information.
“The public should be able to see how decisions are made, including scoring criteria and reasons for awarding tenders. This is key to building trust,” she said.
She further stressed the need to manage conflicts of interest and strengthen oversight systems.
She pointed to slow investigations and weak auditing as ongoing challenges. She also called for digital procurement systems and stronger protection for whistleblowers.
Policy analyst Marius Kudumo questioned whether the reforms address the root causes of procurement problems.
“Perhaps, but not necessarily, as we do not understand the problem we ought to address,” Kudumo said.
He said corruption is also driven by social values. “Unless values that promote the common good and prioritise the poor and disadvantaged are internalised, the new measures will not produce the desired results,” he added.
LPM member of parliament Eneas Emvula said concerns about procurement are not new.
He said some committee members have served for long periods and that past processes have faced allegations of irregularities.
“What is concerning is that the adjudication and awarding process was clouded by allegations of irregularities, including instant changes of bidding requirements at the adjudication phase without observation to the standing due processes (set standards) and in the absence of consulting bidders,” he said.
“This unscrupulous conduct resulted from collusion between committee members and bidders. It is not a secret that committee members are prevy to internal information such as bid cost and procurement plans that should ideally remain confidential to bidders,” he said.
He suggested that more external members should be included in committees and that all members should be vetted.
“This paradigm shift will bring about a relative balance in the deliberations, adjudication and resolutions of the evaluation and award process. We would be bound to see an increase in transparency, compliance with the rule of law, cost savings and, subsequently, help curb potential collusion between bidding committee members and the bidders (corruption),” Emvula said.
The CPBN said the changes are guided by the Public Procurement Act, which allows the board to appoint members, including nominees from public entities, to serve on BECs.
The board said committees are formed as ad hoc groups made up of members from the public who are not CPBN employees.
“The appointment of BEC members will take into account the nature, complexity and technical specifications of each bid,” the CPBN board said.
Under the new rules, applicants must also be available for the full evaluation period and will be assessed based on performance.
