by Carlene van der Westhuizen | December 2015
In South Africa, as in most other countries, government departments need to follow specific, legally defined procedures when buying goods and services from the private sector. The procurement process is designed to be fair and ensure that the best value is achieved with public money.
When public procurement is not working as it should, service delivery is compromised – resulting in goods and services that are of poor quality, delivered late, or not delivered at all. In this way public procurement has a direct impact on the lives of people throughout South Africa. It is therefore critically important that the public understand and monitor the process.
This Guide presents civil society organizations and other interested readers with information and tools to help monitor public procurement. The assumption is that robust oversight over public procurement in South Africa will ultimately improve service delivery, reduce corruption, and strengthen public participation.