The Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Administration, Constitution, and Law has commended the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) for its efforts in improving the National Electronic Procurement System of Tanzania (NeST), and has urged all procurement institutions across the country to be prepared and continue conducting all public procurement activities using the NeST system.

The commendation was made on February 8, 2025, by the Acting Chairman of the Committee and Member of Parliament for Nanyambwa, Hon. Abdallah Chikota, during a training session on the NeST system organized and facilitated by PPRA in Arusha.

Hon. Chikota emphasized that the Government has high expectations for the procurement sector, which is why it has made significant financial investments in the sector to achieve positive and impactful outcomes for the citizens and the nation as a whole.

“Director-General of PPRA, on behalf of the chairman and our committee, we want to encourage you and request that you continue with this patriotic spirit in overseeing this Procurement Law, you and your team. We believe that with the momentum you have, all the challenges facing our system and the procurement sector in general will be improved for the greater benefit of the people and the nation at large,” said Hon. Chikota.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the PPRA Board of Directors, Dr. Leonada Mwagike, stated that PPRA will continue to collaborate closely with all procurement stakeholders in the country to ensure that this critical sector continues to strengthen day by day, with the goal of pushing forward the nation’s development agenda.

“Honorable members, we recognize that this law belongs to you, and we are just the implementers. Therefore, we will not hesitate to continue working with you, receiving feedback you provide or addressing comments from other procurement stakeholders, with the aim of improving wherever weaknesses or challenges arise,” said Dr. Mwagike.

On his part, the PPRA Director-General, Mr. Dennis Simba, expressed satisfaction with the positive response from the committee members and urged them to continue being ambassadors of promoting the effectiveness of Public Procurement Law No. 10 alongside government institutions' readiness to make proper use of the NeST system for public procurement towards sustainable national development.

Additionally, Mr. Simba highlighted successful examples of public institutions that have effectively used the NeST system in the procurement process, including the Kwimba District Council, which has led with a total of 2,065 tenders, followed by the Ukerewe District Council with 1,087 tenders, and the Mbarali District Council in third place.

“Honorable Members, these statistics demonstrate how the councils mentioned above are located in remote areas, so it is clear that institutions avoiding procurement within the system are doing so due to their lack of readiness to use the system, not due to network issues as some people claim,” he explained.

Furthermore, he added that the NeST system offers various procurement methods according to the needs of the services or products involved, giving the system the flexibility to meet and align with the users' demands.

“Honorable members, let me assure you that while we are still building our system, where we stand today, there is no reason to avoid using the system, and the NeST system is sufficient,” Mr. Simba emphasized.

The issuance of tenders through the NeST system officially began in July 2023, and as of now, a total of 90,959 tenders have been advertised through NeST, with 69,806 tenders valued at TZS 4.28 trillion awarded to various bidders for products, construction works, and services.

The committee also visited the team of experts working on the system’s development, who are stationed in Arusha to complete the remaining modules, expected to be finalized by the end of this month.