Certificate in Public Sector Procurement & Tender Process Management

OVERVIEW

The National Human Resource Development Plan NHRDC seeks to ensure that human resource skills are developed within the workforce in the critical areas such as management of operations within organisations. Public Sector Procurement and the tender process management have been identified as critical area where development is required to ensure that the level of good governance and efficient resource allocation is raised within the country.

The Certificate in Public Sector Procurement and Tender Process Management was designed to put the

public procurement system in context, by educating learners on the strategic importance of public procurement and the background to the enactment of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2001. It also explains the legal and regulatory framework which governs public procurement in Botswana and provides learners with an insight into requirements of, and the implementation of the PPAD Act). Poor procurement and tender management practices have been identified as a major source of inefficiencies and wasteful expenditure in Botswana’s public sector and this course will go a long way towards helping in solving this problem by developing and transferring skills to procurement professionals in our country.

BAC, with the invaluable support of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board decided that it was necessary to develop a qualification, which would provide professionals within the procurement function in the public sector with necessary skills to effectively manage the function within their organizations. The course is designed to enhance their skills in complying with the PPADB Act in effectively, efficiently and economically discharging their duties in order to achieve the organization or government department’s objectives.

The programme is designed to further enhance their knowledge and skills in the areas of corporate governance as it relates to the Public Sector, Public Finance and general Public Administration and Management and will give learners more confidence in their ability to deal with complex situations; they will also learn to communicate effectively via written reports and presentations. They should also gain skills in problem solving, analyzing their workplace and communication.

What are the Programme’s Aims?

The programme aims to create a detailed appreciation of the requirements of the PPAD Act and of international best practices in public sector procurement. The program focuses on building the requisite knowledge and skills required in order to apply the requirements of the Act and recognised theoretical frameworks and models in the

day to day management of public finance and procurement.

The focus is on producing graduates who can understand, evaluate and implement the Botswana Public Sector framework for procurement and tender management as outlined in the PPAD Act.

The graduate profile is one of a procurement professional equipped with the skills required to:

Develop a policy for managing the procurement function with the objective of achieving compliance with the PPAD Act.
Design and implement the procurement framework, procedures and controls with the guidance of the PPAD Act;
Evaluate his department’s procurement strategy, policies and processes, and introduce improvements.
Apply international best practice based on recognized frameworks in managing the procurement function in their organisation;
Build and champion a culture of risk awareness aligned with other management activities within the procurement function;
understand the importance of public procurement as a strategic value-adding activity;
Explain the structure of the legal and regulatory framework for public procurement and the key features of each constituent part;
understand basic procurement principles – competition, value for money, economy, efficiency, fairness, accountability, transparency and integrity;
explain the different procurement methods

who should take the course

Taking the Certificate Course will confer extended advantages to all candidates who are currently employed within a public sector procurement function and also internal audit, accounting and administration.

Procurement Officers
Managers and administrators
Audit Staff
Risk management staff.
Students enrolled in accounting, business, or financial degree programs

What is the course Structure?

Professional work experience may be substituted for anapproprite degree. Relevant work experience will be advantageous for students taking this course. The programme is studied on a parttime basis flexi-modeenabling learners to upgrade their skills while working and applying them on a hop-along basis. The modules in the programme have particular importance in continuing professional development and facilitate accreditation of prior experience. The programme will be offered initially in Gaborone with a later rollout in Francistown Campus in the evenings, weekends and block release. Participants are expected from the public sector and, NGO sectors. The programme enables them to gain good analytical and problem-solving skills that add real value in their profession and across other industries. The course takes over 6 months either on a block release basis or part time in the evenings as follows:

Course Duration

Students should expect to complete this course within 6 months. There is an intake in late January and late July each year. Applications for the January intake open from 1st October and for the July intake from 1st March.

Registration Requirements

Bachelor's degree or its educational equivalent from an accredited tertiary institution.
Certain international professional designations may be accepted as equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. Appropriate relevant Professional work experience may be substituted for an approprite degree.
Relevant work experience will be advantageous for students taking this course.