Statement on the Public Procurement Bill 2023

The Procurement Reform Working Group (PRWG) criticizes the Public Procurement Bill 2023, asserting that it was rushed through Parliament with inadequate consultation and contains flaws that could amplify corruption and economic instability in South Africa. The group highlights the erosion of integrity provisions, the failure to implement Zondo Commission recommendations, and the introduction of a vague preferential procurement chapter that may lead to operational chaos and litigation.

• The parliamentary participation process for the Bill was inadequate; the Treasury reportedly gave cursory attention to only 36% of the 112 public submissions received, leaving 64% unprocessed.
• The Bill fails to fully implement recommendations from the Zondo Commission, specifically by maintaining a politicised appointment process for the Head of the Public Procurement Office and deferring the incentivisation of whistleblowing to future amendments of the Protected Disclosures Act.
• There are concerns that the Bill's definition of 'confidential information'—which references the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA)—is too broad and could be used to hide the identities of government suppliers' directors and owners.
• The National Assembly removed provisions that would have allowed the Public Procurement Office and provincial treasuries to review the procurement policies of procuring institutions, as well as automatic exclusions for political party leaders and related officials from bidding.
• The new chapter on preferential procurement is criticized for using vague terminology like 'complementary goals' and having loose provisions for 'prequalification' and 'set-asides' that could lead to an unmanaged reallocation of state resources and costly litigation.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2023). Statement on the Public Procurement Bill 2023. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PRWG-Statement-on-the-Public-Procurement-Bill-12Dec23.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Statement on the Public Procurement Bill 2023. 2023. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PRWG-Statement-on-the-Public-Procurement-Bill-12Dec23.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Statement on the Public Procurement Bill 2023 |date=12 December 2023 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PRWG-Statement-on-the-Public-Procurement-Bill-12Dec23.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2023statement, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Statement on the Public Procurement Bill 2023}}, publisher = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PRWG-Statement-on-the-Public-Procurement-Bill-12Dec23.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }