How to apply to an invitation for competitive bidding in Zimbabwe

The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act [Chapter 22:23] (the PPDPA Act) regulates public procurement in Zimbabwe. The term ‘procurement’ refers to the acquisition by means of goods, construction works or services and in Zimbabwe, in terms of section 3(5), 4(1)(a) and 6(1)(a) of the PPDPA Act includes the disposal of any public assets.

Procuring entities which include: government ministries, departments, other divisions of government, local, provincial and metropolitan councils, corporate bodies established by or in terms of any Act of Parliament for special purposes and/or a company in which the government has a controlling interest are required to procure their goods and services in terms of the PPDPA Act.

Thus, a procuring entity in Zimbabwe which requires goods or services will generally issue an invitation and/or notice to the public inviting interested and eligible suppliers who are registered with Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) to supply it with goods and services.

The invitation and/or notice will have a description of the goods or services required by the procuring entity, the tender number and the closing date and time. Interested bidders are then invited to contact the procuring entity in order to obtain copies of the tender documents.

It is important to note that a procuring entity reserves the right to charge potential bidders a non – refundable fee for the tender documents. It is essential for anyone wanting to participate in competitive bidding to have the minimum requirements which generally include: a company profile, certificate of incorporation, CR5, CR6, VAT Registration Certificate, Current Tax Clearance Certificate – ITF 263, NSSA certificate, banking details and at least three (3) trade references.

However, information on the eligibility criteria, establishment of the shortlist and the selection criteria for tenders will be found in the terms of reference of the tenders. Thus, if one is an interested bidder they should then complete the necessary documentation, generally in the form of a standard bidding document and attach the required documents. Thereafter an interested bidder should then complete, bind and seal their tenders in sealed envelopes which will be endorsed on the outside with the advertised tender number, the description of the tender before the closing date and time.