The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PPA, Mr Agyenim Boateng Adjei, who made this known at a press conference in Accra yesterday, said the authority was embarking on a targeted campaign to sensitise stakeholders to its mission and vision, as part of a re-branding effort to position it as a world-class procurement entity that ensured due diligence.

He said the PPA was also cultivating a close collaboration with the private sector to promote greater competition and transparency in public procurement processes.

In addition, Mr Adjei stated, the PPA would also create a strong platform to help build the capacities of anticorruption agencies such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for the effective implementation of the National Anti- Corruption Action Plan (NACAP).

Units

Mr Adjei said the authority was implementing operational initiatives leading to the setting up of two purpose driven operational units as well as three operational activities to enhance the credibility of operations and processes of PPA.

They included a Due Diligence or Value for Money Unit, where it would determine the reasonableness or otherwise of justifications provided by entities in their applications for Sole Source and Restricted tendering.

Another unit, he said, would be the Procurement Audit Unit which would conduct all year round audits and investigations into the procurement activities of procurement entities.

He said the PPA had over the years suffered from severe financial constraints making it difficult for it to assert itself in the performance of its oversight responsibility.

The CEO said the authority had over the last couple of years been engaged in donor-funded projects to address issues such as capacity building, improve operational efficiency at the entity

level and enhanced transparency and accountability.