Industry calls for tender system overhaul
- 04 February, 2009 22:00
The IT industry has spoken: the Government Electronic Tenders (GETS) website needs an overhaul.
While interested parties are happy with the accessibility of the GETS website, all those RN spoke to express concerns about either the amount of time and cost required to submit a tender, claims of perceived favouritism towards certain suppliers and claims that tenders are written for specific companies.
Ministry of Economic Development Government Procurement Development Group manager Phil Weir responds, “I’m aware that procurement practices across government are variable, with some procurers performing well and others less so.
“A review of GETS is taking place. The Ministry of Economic Development [MED] commissioned an independent review of GETS late last year to identify the requirements and expectations of stakeholders, with respect to the functionality of a GETS tool and identify a range of options to provide the required functionality.”
Weir concedes the system’s functionality has remained relatively unchanged for a number of years, despite being effective as a simple tool for advertising and alerting suppliers by email of approaches to market. “With the increasing use of technology in procurement, including electronic tendering, the MED is investigating whether a modified or alternative GETS solution is needed to keep pace with these developments.”
The final review report has been submitted, says Weir, and the Ministry is considering the recommendations. “Any major changes would be subject to Cabinet approval and for some of the options a technical audit would be needed before we would know if they are viable. Final decisions are likely to be some months off yet.”
He adds it is too early to know what changes would occur from the review. “A large range of options were covered in the report, from doing nothing to a completely new system.”