The Namibian Competition Commission (NACC) and the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) have signed an agreement to increase competition in public tenders and bidding processes.
Speaking at the signing ceremony on Thursday, procurement board chief executive Idi Itope said the agreement between the institutions will ensure transparent and competitive bidding processes.
“Through this [agreement], our two institutions commit to working jointly on the prevention, detection and referral of restrictive business practices in public procurement,” Itope said.
He said the central procurement board was established to ensure that contracts provide value for Namibian taxpayers.
“Where bidders collude, where prices are fixed or where bid technical specifications are designed to favour a chosen few, these are not merely procurement issues. They are competition violations,” Itope said.
Through the agreement, the two institutions will set up a joint working committee with legal, compliance and enforcement specialists.
If either institution receives a complaint that is relevant to the other – like a complaint about competition that involves a public company – the information will be shared to each other, Itope said.
The two institutions will also cooperate on research, joint training, secondments and knowledge exchange, he said.
NACC chief executive Vitalis Ndalikokule says cooperation between the two institutions was outlined in the competition watchdog’s strategic plan for 2020 to 2025.
“Through this partnership, we reaffirm our commitment to working collaboratively to prevent and address anti-competitive conduct that undermines market efficiency, public trust, and the effective use of public resources,” Ndalikokule said at the ceremony on Thursday.
He said the NACC and CPBN will cooperate on sharing intelligence for investigations, conducting joint awareness programmes and detecting and preventing anti-competitive practices in public procurement.
“These collaborative efforts are not intended to diminish the independence or mandates of either institution. Instead, they are designed to leverage our respective strengths and expertise to safeguard the integrity of Namibia’s procurement system and promote a fair and competitive marketplace,” Ndalikokule said.
