Follow due process in award of contracts - Audit Service advises MMDAs
The Ghana Audit Service has advised Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to follow due process in the award of contracts.
It has also advised the entities to capture projects to be executed in their medium term development, annual action and procurement plans as well as their annual budgets.
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An Assistant Director of the Audit Service, Mr Kwaku Akyena, gave the advice at the Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly’s capital project performance review in Odumase Krobo last Thursday.
The review formed part of Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) programme.
The GSAM project is a social accountability project seeking to strengthen citizens’ oversight of capital development projects to improve local government transparency, accountability and performance in 100 districts in Ghana.
Advertise projects
Mr Akyena said due process included advertisement of the projects in the newspapers and on the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) website, formation of an evaluation panel and selling of tender documents of each project to prospective bidders.
The assemblies, he said, were also under an obligation to write to both successful and unsuccessful bidders to let them know the contractor who won the contract, the sum involved and bid securities.
Mr Akyena stressed the need for MMDAs to plan, supervise, monitor and adhere to procurement laws and processes in the execution of projects in their various areas.
He explained that when that was done, there would be value for money.
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He commended stakeholders at Lower Manya Krobo Municipality for their participation in the event, and also urged the public to always take keen interest in issues and programmes that affected them so as to hold duty bearers accountable.
Exposure to guidelines
The Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Chief Executive ((MCE), Mr Simon Kweku Tetteh, said two projects executed in the municipality had exposed him and other officers in the municipality to guidelines regarding project execution and the laid down rules and regulations.
The projects, he said, were the construction of a Community-based Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compound with a four-unit latrine at Nuaso and a latrine at Adjikpo Yokuna
He said although the assembly had scored very high marks in a performance audit conducted on its activities by the Audit Service, it would work harder and also take into consideration recommendations made by the auditors to achieve better results.
He said the assembly would follow due process in all programmes and projects it would embark on.