Tenderite service to combat corruption in procurement
Since 2022, Tenderite, Malawi’s first-ever digital service that was developed to combat corruption in procurement, dubbed the Corruption Vaccine, has processed over 3,000 procurement services — indicating that the country’s business industry is positively embracing the invention.
Developed by Products & Services Bureau (PSB) Limited — Malawi’s broker of goods and services — the digital system’s “primary objectives is to deter occurrences of corrupt and fraudulent practices and rendering the society of equal opportunities for all”.
This was said by PSB’s Founder and Executive Chairman, William Sichinga at Blantyre Sports Club on Wednesday at a press briefing to announce that the Corruption Vaccine is being positively adopted by institutions to source and evaluate procurement quotations and bids online.
Sichinga emphasized that the Corruption Vaccine is important because results of the statistical analysis on honesty and integrity — that PSB conducted between 2006 and 2019 on merchants; services providers; corporate managers; public service officers and the youth — 98% of people “are corrupt, dishonest and nepotistic”.
He added that “2% could be incorrupt and honest but have different levels of nepotism [while] 97% of family and friends expect and exert pressure on their relations in power and on duty to favour them on business, employment, education and health opportunities, among others”.
“With these statistics, PSB concluded that trust should be minimized as much as possible in procurement, thus the birth of Tenderite — the digital platform wholly developed by Malawian experts.
“It reduces the human influence in procurement decision making,” he said, while further emphasizing that “corruption, dishonesty and nepotism are the most common characteristics in human beings — yet the same people must be employed and trusted to manage and safeguard assets of other people.”
Sichinga further said the worst victims of corruption are consumers, who pay higher prices for goods and services but they can now control and stabilize prizes of goods and services by supporting firms on Tenderite.
He gave an example that from some services that he individually has to honour, such as paying for motor and general insurance, their charges since 2022 — at the height of price increase — have remained unchanged.
“This is an indication that corruption collusion is being minimized because the insurance industry’s corruption collusion is very high,” he said, adding that the public can influence businesses to be on Tenderite “in order to stabilize prices of goods and services”.
“This Corruption Vaccine shields consumers, shareholders and voters from predatory executive managers of business and government,” he said. “Smart and honest executive managers appreciate and rely on Tenderite as one of their most important tools for personal and institutional integrity.”
Sichinga also announced that PSB has 5 insurance companies that are on Tenderite and from its analysis, Reunion Insurance Company Limited was awarded the 2022 Tenderite Institution of Integrity.
There have been many cases where Malawian public and private sector officers in the procurement of goods and services have been prosecuted for corrupt & fraudulent practices, bias, unfairness or nepotism and Sichinga added that it is gratifying that though it had some teething problems at the onset, Tenderite has been positively been supported by professionals of high integrity.
He also challenged that the Corruption Vaccine — whose motto is: ‘Don’t Blame the Corrupt; They are Normal-Just Extinguish their Opportunities with Tenderite’ — is the world’s first.
PSB’s Marketing Manager, Michelle Sichinga took the journalists through the secure service, through which company executives source from any web browser, whose process start with registration by creating an account.
She said once registered and vetoed, procurement officers can interact with suppliers of goods and service providers without knowing their identities to source and award quotations or can choose another portal if such a consumer already has prequalified list of suppliers.
She also said through the same Tenderite, customers can opt to counter offer on the prices and once given the go ahead to supply at a discount, the system accepts the counter offer.
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