The aim of this study is to investigate the implementation challenges of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The key issues examined in the study are the level of knowledge, the procedure and modalities of compliance with the Act and the challenges of implementing the Procurement Act by the procurement committee members. Purposive sampling was adopted in selecting fourteen MMDAs while simple random procedure was used to sample members of the procurement committee at the selected MMDAs for the study. Questionnaires and focus group discussion were used to collect data and information from the respondents. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that a large proportion of the procurement committee members could not explain key sections of the Act. In all the sampled MMDAs respondents claimed to follow procedure required by the Act. However, they enumerated the following as the key challenges with regards to the compliance of the Act: political interference, unqualified staff, and lack of monitoring as well as inadequate motivation for the committee members. There is a need for the MMDAs to take steps to address these challenges.
Procurement forms an essential link among organisations in the supply chain, and it gives a mechanism for coordinating the flow of materials between customers and suppliers. At every point in the supply chain, procurement passes messages backwards to describe what customers want, and it passes messages forwards to say what suppliers have available.
Procurement is an essential function within every organization: every organization needs supply of materials, and procurement is responsible for organising this. If carried out badly, materials do not arrive, or the wrong materials are delivered, in the wrong quantities, at the wrong time, with poor quality, at too high a price, low customer service, and so on.
Procurement may be defined as the acquisition of goods, works and services. This embraces not only purchasing, that is, buying of goods, but it also includes hiring of contracts or consultants to carry out services. Standards required in procurement are: high quality service, economy and efficiency, and fairness in competition. Thus, a procedure must be followed and is applicable to all contracts for goods and works.
Public procurement has gained much attention amongst developing countries over the last decades. Developing countries have procurement budgets that account for about 20 percent of government expenditure globally [
Public procurement in Ghana represents about 24% of total imports besides personal emoluments and public procurement amounting to 50% - 70% of national budget and 14% of gross domestic product [
Studies available also indicate that consultancy works and public procurement is about US$600 m, [
The public procurement Act of Ghana Act 663 (2003) was therefore legislated by Parliament of the Republic of Ghana to bring sanity and conformity to procurement by the institution of bodies and ethics that standardises procurement activities in the country.
Public Procurement constitutes the largest government second expenditure apart from government wage bill. It is about 50% of government expenditure. According to a World Bank report, total annual corruption in African amounts to about $148 billion which is also about 25% of Gross Domestic Product. These corruption activities are mostly manifested in the execution of shoddy contracts and abuse of public funds which have most debilitating effects on the economy.
The bulk of government expenditure is also centered on the running of District Assemblies, Public Hospitals, Universities, schools and colleges. The smooth operations of these institutions involve the engagement of consultancy services for contract works and large procurement activities. Ensuring value for money in the operations of these institutions will inject some proficiency and subsequent budgetary savings to fund other areas of need in the government development plan. It is therefore expedient that government periodically evaluates and improves on procurement processes within the decentralised agencies and public institutions.
Governments, since independence, have formulated policies to streamline public financial management practices. Some of these financial instruments included the Contract Act of 1960, Ghana Supply Commission Act 1990 by PNDC law 245, Ghana National Procurement Agency Decree 1976 and a lot more. All these instruments were geared toward regulating procurement activities in the country.
A review of all these instruments brought to the fore gross inefficiencies such as corruption, lack of transparency in procurement activities and improper institutional and organisational framework in public procurement management. These inefficiencies brought to the fore by the review culminated into the non-achievement of value for money in public procurement.
In the quest of the government efforts to further strengthen its financial management system after a major re- view of public expenditure system, the government decided to establish a public financial reform programme to strengthen its financial management system. The Public Procurement Act was enacted to address perceived inefficiencies in public procurement.
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This study aimed at assessing the implementation challenges of the Public Procurement Act by selected MMDA’s procurement committee members.
Procurement is the process by which organizations acquire goods, works and services. The procurement cycle involves planning, beginning with needs assessment through needs preparation, inviting offers, contractor selection, awarding contracts, executing and managing contracts, as well as final accounting and auditing. Procurement can therefore be viewed as a strategic component of supply chain management relating to satisfying customer or buyer needs.
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Public procurement has been identified as the government activity most vulnerable to corruption. As a major interface between the public and the private sectors, public procurement provides multiple opportunities for both public and private sectors to divert public funds for private gain. For example, according to the 2005 Executive Opinion Survey of the World Economic Forum, bribery by international firms in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries is more pervasive in public procurement than in utilities, taxation, judiciary and state capture [
Ghana has made several attempts to address the weaknesses in its public procurement system by the passage of several financial and legal instruments. These attempts were in the form of constitutional, legislative instruments, administrative instructions and financial circulars. The Government, in 1960, enacted the Ghana Supply Commission Act which was reviewed later in 1990 by PNDC law 245. In the same year, Contracts Act, Act 25 of 1960 was also passed. In 1976, the National Procurement Agency Decree SMCD 55 was passed by the Supreme Military Council. In 1979, another law, the Financial Administration Decree SMCD 221 was also passed. All these laws, decrees and instruments were meant to provide a comprehensive framework of administrative powers to regulate the activities of procurement within the public sector [
However, Ghana Supply Commission and National Procurement Agency which were established were involved directly in frontline procurement and therefore did not perform the oversight responsibility to oversee the successful implementation of these laws. Since there was no legal body to perform the oversight responsibility, the procurement system was characterised by unclear legal framework, lack of harmonised procedures and regulations and unclear institutional and organisational arrangement required in the management of the public procurement. Furthermore, there was the absence of clearly defined roles and responsibilities of individual procurement entities; and no independent appeals process with power to address complaint from aggrieved bidders and provide corrective solutions. Also, there was the absence of authority to dispose off public assets and no independent audit function to ensure efficient accountability.
It became evident therefore that, there was the need to critically examine the processes and procedures of public sector procurement to ensure operational efficiency and institutional capacity to address the various short- comings.
In Ghana, public procurement is one of the most controversial issues because it has both economic, social and governance implications. Ghana decided to fundamentally reform its procurement system to ensure efficient, fair and transparent public procurement. It was intended to promote the use of public procurement as a tool for national development. Ghana’s effort to reform its procurement system is part of the Government’s effort to operationalise its concept of good governance. According to [
A key deliverable of the procurement reform was a draft Public Procurement Bill, which was enacted into law by Parliament of Ghana in 2003. Direct measures also undertaken by Government include: the issuance and monitoring of expenditure ceilings for each Ministry, Department and Agency (MDA) consistent with the annual budget and updated cash flow forecasts; and implementing new anti-corruption strategies including codes of conduct for state officials. All procuring entities must seek clearance from the Ministry of Finance, through certification as proof of the availability and adequacy of funding, before any works contract is awarded [
In 1996, the Government of Ghana launched the Public Financial Management Reform Programme (PUFMARP) with the aim to improve overall public financial management in Ghana. In 1999, the Government of Ghana established the Public Procurement Oversight Group to steer the development of a comprehensive public procurement reform programme. The Public Procurement Bill was drafted in 2002 and this was passed into law on 31st of December 2003 as the Public Procurement Act (PPA) of 2003, Act 663. The PPA Act 663 requires that various government institutions set up procurement departments within their organizations which will be directly responsible for all their own procurement activities.
The study area is Ashanti Region which is located in southern Ghana and third largest of 10 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of 24,389 km2 (9417 sq. mi) or 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. In terms of population, however, it is the most populated region with a population of 4,780,380 in 2010, accounting for 19.4 percent of Ghana’s total population. The Ashanti region and Asanteman is known for its major gold bar and cocoa production and also harbors the capital city of Kumasi.
The Ashanti region is in Asanteman and centrally located in the middle belt of Ghana. It lies between longitudes 0.15˚W and 2.25˚W, and latitudes 5.50˚N and 7.46˚N. The region shares boundaries with four of the ten political regions, Brong-Ahafo Region in the north, Eastern region in the east, Central region in the south and Western region in the South west. The region is divided into 27 districts, each headed by a district chief executive.
Two stage sampling procedure was used to sample the respondents. At the first stage, purposive sampling procedure was used to sample one (1) metropolitan, four (4) municipals and nine (9) districts for the study. The selection of the MMDAs was informed by the level of procurement activities undertaken by this district and how active their procurement committee members are. Second stage of the sampling process involved simple random sampling of procurement committee members. In all nine respondents were sampled from each assembly resulting in a total number of one hundred and twenty-six (126) sampled respondents in (
Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data with the aid of Statistical Package for the Services Solution (SPSS). Descriptive statistics such as frequency tables and percentages were used to present the socio-eco- nomic characteristics of respondents and their levels of compliance with the Procurement Act.
The respondents were grouped into three different age categories.
The female representation of the respondents was (26%; n = 27) as compared to (74%; n = 78) for males as depicted in
Education is a crucial variable because it helps in the understanding and application of basic concepts, principles and regulations in the Act. It was important to find out the level of education of the respondents as this will help to assess the level of which they can appreciate key issues in the Act. All the respondents have some
Name | Number of respondents | Number of questionnaires returned | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Adansi North-DA | 9 | 8 |
2 | Ahafo Ano North-DA | 9 | 7 |
3 | Ahafo Ano South-DA | 9 | 8 |
4 | Amansie Central-DA | 9 | 7 |
5 | Asante Akim South-DA | 9 | 7 |
6 | Asokore Mampong-MA | 9 | 8 |
7 | Atwima Kwanwoma-DA | 9 | 9 |
8 | Bekwai-MA | 9 | 7 |
9 | Ejisu-Juaben-MA | 9 | 9 |
10 | Ejura Sekyedumase-MA | 9 | 6 |
11 | Kumasi Metropolitan | 9 | 7 |
12 | Kwabre East-DA | 9 | 7 |
13 | Offinso-MA | 9 | 8 |
14 | Kumawu-DA | 9 | 7 |
Total | 126 | 105 |
Source: Field Data, 2014 DA―District Assembly; MA―Municipal Assembly; The response rate is about 83%.
Variable | Category | Frequency | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
Gender | Male | 78 | 74 |
Female | 27 | 26 | |
Total | 105 | 100 | |
Age | 30 - 39 years | 29 | 28 |
40 - 49 years | 28 | 27 | |
50 - 59 years | 48 | 45 | |
Total | 105 | 100 | |
Educational Level | Bachelor’s Degree | 24 | 23 |
Master’s Degree | 81 | 77 | |
Total | 105 | 100 | |
Position of Respondent | District Chief Executive | 16 | 15 |
District Coordinating Director | 13 | 12 | |
Head of Supply | 15 | 14 | |
District Engineer | 16 | 15 | |
District Planning Officer | 9 | 9 | |
Director, Health Services | 12 | 11 | |
Deputy Director―HR | 24 | 24 | |
Total | 105 | 100 | |
Years of Service | 6 - 10 years | 61 | 58 |
11 - 15 years | 12 | 11 | |
16 - 19 years | 2 | 2 | |
Above 20 years | 30 | 29 | |
Total | 105 | 100 |
Source: Field data, 2014.
appreciable level of formal education. This is quite impressive of the management team and committee membership of the District Assemblies. In all (23%; n = 24) respondents have Bachelor’s Degree and (77%; n = 81) with Master’s degree in various disciplines (see
As presented in
It is evident from
Statements | Agree | Neutral | Disagree |
---|---|---|---|
The Act is applicable to the District Assembly | 90 (85.7%) | 5 (5%) | 10 (9.3%) |
All contracts are awarded by the tender committee | 89 (84.7%) | 3 (3%) | 13 (12.3%) |
All contracts must pass through the procurement process | 95 (90.5%) | 0 (0%) | 10 (9.5%) |
Procurement process is supervised by a tender committee | 86 (82%) | 3 (3%) | 16 (15%) |
Goods and services required for emergency purposes do not go through tender | 57 (54%) | 0 (0%) | 48 (46%) |
A procurement plan must be prepared and approved | 105 (100%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
A tender evaluation committee check all tenders | 79 (75%) | 6 (6%) | 20 (19%) |
The assembly tender committee needs five members to form a quorum | 91 (86%) | 7 (7%) | 7 (7%) |
There are training programmes on the Act | 83 (79%) | 4 (4%) | 18 (17%) |
Are you familiar with the Public Procurement Act, Act 663 on reforms on Ghana | 97 (92%) | 5 (5%) | 3 (3%) |
Source: Field Data, 2014.
In addition, (84.7%; n = 89) respondents agreed that under the PPA, all contracts are awarded by a tender committee as compared to (12.3%; n = 13) who disagreed with the statement relating to this issue and (3%; n = 3) were indifferent on the statement. Overall, more than half of the respondents agreed that the tender committee award all contracts for the supply of goods and services for MMDAs as outlined in the Act (see
When asked on the statement “all contracts must pass through the procurement processes”, all of the respondents agreed to that statement. This finding supports the assertion by [
In spite of the respondent’s experiences on the job they still believe training programmes in the knowledge upgrade on the Act is essential. It was evident from the respondents as (79%; n = 83) responded positively to the statement that there is the need to establish training programmes on the Act to sharpen their skills while (17%; n = 18) respondents disagreed with the statement and the other (4%; n = 4) were neutral on the statement. When asked about emergency goods and services going through the tender process the results were diverse as (54%; n = 57) respondents believe that it should be for consistency purposes as any good or service procurement is a public expense and must be handled as such, on the other hand (46%; n = 48) respondents were of the view that emergency purposes of goods and services by its nature must be treated as such as certain laid down purchase procedure can be followed and still achieve value for money in procurement. When the respondents were asked whether they are familiar with the Public Procurement Act, Act 663 all respondents responded that they have appreciable fair knowledge of the Act.
When asked whether or not the Procurement Committee Members of the sampled MMDAs comply with the Act by examining how the various modalities are utilised in the procurement process. As one of the modalities for ensuring compliance when respondents were asked if contracts for the supply of goods and services were advertised to the public, all the respondents answered in the affirmative. The results is in line with section 19 of the Act (Act 663) which stipulates that all contracts for the supply of goods and services to public sector institutions must be advertised to ensure transparency as shown in
To further ascertain compliance, when asked of the medium through which the MMDAs advertised contracts for the supply of goods and services (see
The length of bidding period is one of the key requirements of the Act [
The results from
The Procurement Act also requires entity committees to put in place modalities for reviewing complaints from suppliers and contractors regarding procurement entities.
Procedure used by the MMDAs | Responses Category | Frequency | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
Assembly advertises contracts | Yes | 105 | 100.00 |
No | 0 | 0.00 | |
Total | 105 | 100.00 | |
Contracts awards published | Yes | 98 | 93.33 |
No | 7 | 6.67 | |
Total | 105 | 100.00 | |
Media to publish adverts and awards of contracts | Newspapers | 92 | 87.62 |
Internet websites | 13 | 12.38 | |
Total | 105 | 100.00 | |
Tenders opened for bidding period | 2 weeks | 92 | 88.00 |
3 weeks | 5 | 5.00 | |
4 weeks | 8 | 7.00 | |
Total | 105 | 100.00 | |
Modalities for reviewing complaints from supplies and contractors | Yes | 65 | 61.90 |
No | 40 | 38.10 | |
Total | 105 | 100.00 | |
Statement | Category | Frequency | Percentage |
Rely on only suppliers with good standing in the supplier index | Yes | 80 | 76.19 |
No | 25 | 23.81 | |
Total | 105 | 100.00 | |
Documentations verification before awards of contracts | Yes | 105 | 100.00 |
No | 0 | 0.00 | |
Total | 105 | 100.00 |
Source: Field Data, 2014.
suppliers. The result means that (38.10%; n = 40) are not complying with the Act that required institutions to put in place modalities for reviewing complaints from their suppliers.
On the issues of the publication of contract awards (93.33%; n = 98) respondents confirmed that awards are published as compared to (6.67%; n = 7) who disagreed which means that the compliance issues are not dealt with holistically.
When asked about modalities for reviewing complaints from contractors, several responses came from the respondents in a focus group discussion. The respondents noted that the contractors can appeal to the head of entity, ask for debriefing and appeal to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), their responses are indication that the MMDA’s adhere to the compliance provisions of the Act seriously.
On the other hand as contractors and suppliers are protected by the Act, it also put them on their toes if they fail to perform agreed contracts. The responses from focus group discussion revealed that suppliers/contractors are punished when they fail to deliver within the stipulated time. A member of the focus group discussion noted that “either the contract will be terminated or the said contractor/supplier will be blacklisted”. In some cases the contractors were asked to pay the liquidated damages. However, on the other hand the district assembly fails to sanction contractors because of delays in payment of the contractor”.
The result of the study also revealed that the MMDA’s rely on suppliers with good standing in the supplier index where (76.19%, n = 80) responded “yes” while the other (23.8%; n = 25) responded “no”, it makes sense where the supplier index give assurance and conformation of what has to be done. Also documentation verification before awards of contracts is a key issue to ensure compliance, as all the respondents who participated in the focus group discussion agreed on the importance of documentations from the supplier/contractor.
In adhering to the dictates of the Act, public sector institutions are often confronted with some challenges [
Agree | Neutral | Disagree | |
---|---|---|---|
Challenges in the implementation of the Public Procurement Act | Freq. (%) | Freq. (%) | Freq. (%) |
The Act is designed to be more controlling than facilitating the procurement process itself | 5 (4.76%) | 5 (4.76%) | 95 (90.48) |
The Act does not allow for introduction of innovative techniques in the procurement process | 91 (86.67%) | 6 (5.71%) | 8 (7.62%) |
The Act ensures that the cheapest service is obtained but not the best in terms of quality | 92 (87.62%) | 5 (4.76%) | 8 (7.62%) |
The procurement process is very bureaucratic | 95 (90.48%) | 5 (4.76%) | 5 (4.76%) |
There are technical difficulties in applying the Act in all aspects | 50 (47.62%) | 0 (0.00%) | 55 (52.38%) |
Frequent changes in membership of tender board affect the procurement process | 44 (41.90%) | 30 (28.60%) | 31 (29.50%) |
Limited logistics (computers, office space etc.) slows down the work of tender committee | 41 (39.00%) | 30 (29.00%) | 34 (32.00%) |
Tender committee members do not have the requisite skills and training in the procurement process. | 90 (86.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 15 (14.00%) |
Tender committee members do not receive rewards for their services | 75 (71.42%) | 15 (14.29%) | 15 (14.29%) |
External pressure to subvert the procurement process | 80 (76.19%) | 20 (19.05%) | 5 (4.76%) |
Most suppliers and contractors do not look for adverts on procurement | 65 (61.90%) | 25 (23.81%) | 15 (14.29%) |
The Act has made the procurement of goods and services very risky | 12 (11.43%) | 33 (31.43%) | 60 (57.14%) |
Most suppliers and contractors cannot obtain the needed documents | 60 (57.14%) | 20 (19.05%) | 25 (23.81%) |
Source: Field Data, 2014.
statement. Again, most of the respondents (86.67%; n = 91) agreed that the Act does not allow for the introduction of innovative techniques in the procurement process, compared to (7.62%; n = 8) respondents that disagreed while (5.71%; n = 6) were neutral in their opinion.
The majority of the respondents (86.67%; n = 91) felt the Act ensures that the cheapest service is obtained but not the best in terms of quality and value for money compared to (5.7%; n = 6) who were not certain, while (7.62%; n = 8) disagreed with the statement. Similarly, (90.48%; n = 95) respondents felt the procurement process was very bureaucratic, compared to (9.52%, n = 10) were uncertain or disagreed on the statement.
A member of the focus group discussion noted this in response to his comment on the extent of the implementation of the public procurement Act, he revealed that “the times have changed and therefore the Act needs to be reviewed to enable free and transparent implementation especially by the political leaders”. The District Chief Executive was positive that the public procurement Act has enhanced the procurement process.
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Furthermore, reasons for the lack of success in implementing reforms in developing countries are varied but also interlinked. The most difficult obstacle is the lack of political will at the highest levels of Government to significantly overhaul an existing system [
Facing the above challenges and others like rapid development in technology (which has brought about new procurement methods), public procurement cannot be perceived as a mere clerical routine but public procurement practitioners should be involved in strategic procurement planning [
When asked about what provisions of the Act does the MMDA’s find it difficult to apply currently, two members of the focus group revealed the following, one member said “the limitation of the Mayor, Municipal and District Chief Executives powers to award contract beyond a stipulated amount of threshold”, Another member said his concern is on the “submission of reports/documents to the PPA―such as the procurement plans award notification”. Their concerns were surprising and shocking, what will be the essence of the Act if the MMDA’s have so much power in terms of spending though he/she will account for it. This will lead to abuse of power and even spending beyond the budget of the assemblies, with the other member least said about his difficulty; after spending the money who should do the documentation and send it to the PPA on their behave; this is a challenge to the PPA.
The key to the attainment of compliance to the Procurement Act is the understanding of the procurement guidelines. From
In order to carry out the compliance of the Act in a most effective manner, there is the need for the tender committee to have access to all the logistics to carry out their duties and responsibilities to add value and save the taxpayers money. On whether limited logistics slows down the work of the tender committee the responses that came out were, (39%; n = 41) respondents agreed with the statement as compared to (32%; n = 34) respondents disagreeing on the issue while (29%; n = 30) were neutral. This was attributed to the non-availability of those items from logistics perspective. The finding calls for the Assemblies to improve its functions and operations to ensure compliance.
Specialised procurement training plays a pivotal role in acquiring new skills and enhancing efficiency. From
On the external pressure to subvert the procurement process, it was observed from
The preparation of the bidding document is very important and therefore procurement committee members must ensure that this is properly done. The respondents were asked if suppliers and contractors cannot obtain the needed documents to go through the procurement tendering process. It was observed that (57.14%; n = 60) agreed that suppliers and contractors most of the time cannot obtain the needed documents while (19.05%; n = 20) respondents were indifferent on the issue. The other (23.81%; n = 25) respondents were of the opinion that they disagreed with the statement which imply suppliers and contractors are able to present the needed documents as part of the tendering process. This result demonstrates a shortfall in the effectiveness of the procurement committee as it point to the fact that extra efforts need to be put in place by the Assemblies to compel the suppliers and contractors to provide all the relevant documents if they will be shortlisted in the tendering process.
Public procurement is inherently a politically sensitive activity, not just because it involves significant amounts of public money even within the context of a national economy. By its magnitude, public procurement demands high quality public governance in terms of transparency and accountability as well as effective management that can deliver optimum risk management and value for money. A highly regulated procurement environment designed could be appropriate to minimise discretion in circumstances where there are considerations of high risk from undue influence. Moreover, a highly prescriptive approach may also seem appropriate in jurisdictions where officials have minimal procurement skills, in striving to ensure transparency or prevent or overcome corruption.
The study engages with the MMDAs on their procurement activities and the implementation challenges with the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) in the Ashanti Region. The paper provides evidence from the study which suggests these conclusions of the study:
The level of knowledge regarding the Public Procurement Act is very high as all contracts are awarded by a tender committee and all contracts also pass through the procurement processes. Notwithstanding this, there is a need for capacity building to adequately equip employees with the necessary skills needed to ensure compliance.
The adherence to the modalities for compliance with the Public Procurement Act is encouraging as the MMDAs have done enough to raise the importance of ensuring compliance to the procurement procedures.
Challenges of the implementation of the Public Procurement Act were diverse with mixed reactions. It was important that, the Act facilities the process of procurement where it is perceived that it controls the process. There were diverse opinions on the technical difficulties of the application of the Act. It was strongly acknowledged that, tender committee members do not have the requisite skills and training in the procurement process; moreover there is a worrying situation of the public knowledge that there are immense external pressures to subvert the procurement process.
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made in order to ensure that MMDAs will be effective if its operations and these public institutions adhere to all procurement compliances of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) religiously:
Even though the procurement committee members of the assembly understand the provisions of the Act, they are not able to fully comply with the Act due to the lack of expertise to fully comply with the law. It is therefore recommended that the Public Procurement Authority should organise regular training programmes to expose stakeholders involved in the procurement process to the provisions and modalities for implementing the Act. This will help to develop the competencies and capacities of the procurement committee members and staff of the assembly as well as their suppliers in the implementation of the Act.
The Public Procurement Authority has to step up its monitoring and compliance assurance role within the assemblies. The period of monitoring should be regular, at least quarterly to ensure that lapses do not occur.
The most important way to improve upon compliance with the Public Procurement Act, 2003 is to insulate routine procurement decisions from political interference or at least, reduce to a minimum. This requires that political leaders must muster the necessary political will to implement the Act in full.
However, it would be interesting and insightful to conduct a comparative study of all the twenty-seven (27) MMDAs in the Ashanti Region on the application and compliance of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663). It is therefore suggested that future studies must use all the MMDAs as census for the study to authenticate the validity of the results.