Local anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International Zimbabwe (TI-Z) has raised concerns over proposed amendments to Zimbabwe’s public procurement law, warning that some provisions in the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDPA) Amendment Bill, 2025 could increase corruption risks despite introducing positive reforms.
In an analysis of the Bill, the anti-corruption organisation said public procurement remains central to effective service delivery and accountability, noting that reforms must strengthen not weaken transparency safeguards.
TI-Z singled out proposed changes granting the Minister powers to exempt certain procurement processes from public disclosure on grounds of “national interest”.
The organisation warned that the term was insufficiently defined and could be open to abuse.
“The concept of national interest is not clearly defined, leading to broad interpretation,” TI-Z said, adding that such provisions risk “closing doors of transparency” and limiting public scrutiny in government contracting.
According to the watchdog, allowing confidential procurement without strong oversight mechanisms could undermine Section 315 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution, which promotes fairness, honesty and competitiveness in public procurement.
TI-Z recommended that any confidential tenders be fully disclosed to independent oversight bodies such as Parliament, the Auditor-General or the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ), even where public disclosure is delayed.
Despite its concerns, the organisation welcomed several proposed amendments aimed at improving accountability.
Among them is a clause introducing an evaluation function to strengthen monitoring of procurement entities, which TI-Z described as enabling authorities to assess the effectiveness of procurement systems against national development goals.
The proposal requiring procuring entities to apply annually rather than every two years for authority to conduct procurement was also praised.
“This clause increases financial discipline, transparency, accountability and efficiency,” the analysis noted.
However, TI-Z cautioned against provisions introducing expanded domestic preference for groups such as war veterans and youth-owned companies.
While aimed at economic empowerment, the organisation warned the measure could conflict with constitutional guarantees of non-discrimination and potentially encourage the creation of proxy companies linked to politically exposed persons.
“The focus of participation in public procurement should be on the technical capacity of the bidder to deliver, not their identity or political alignment,” the report said.
Further concern was raised over clauses expanding regulatory powers of the Minister, including authority over electronic procurement systems, licensing and training of procurement officers.
TI-Z warned that concentrating regulatory authority within a political office risks politicising procurement systems and weakening institutional independence.
“Without independent checks, the Minister could prescribe rules that favour preferred suppliers,” the organisation said.
Overall, TI-Z urged Parliament to carefully scrutinise the proposed amendments to ensure alignment with constitutional principles and international anti-corruption standards.
The organisation emphasised that transparent procurement systems are essential to preventing corruption and ensuring public resources translate into equitable service delivery for citizens.
As lawmakers debate the Bill, the proposed reforms are likely to spark wider discussion over balancing efficiency, empowerment and accountability in the country’s public spending framework.
