Government to introduce e-procurement

The Star - 22 December 2003

KUALA LUMPUR: Government departments and agencies will introduce the e-procurement system early next year, aimed at transforming the nation's "bureaucracy-centred" government to a "citizen-centred" one.

Apart from saving money for the Government, e-procurement, which comes under the e-government service, will be able to replenish supplies quickly through electronic quotations.

The system, when fully implemented, will help the Government become a smart buyer, according to Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit Director-General Datin Nazariah Mohd Khalid.

Traders and suppliers will benefit from the transparency created in the new system and will also receive faster payments.

"Other benefits include more accurate orders, fewer product returns and a shorter time needed due to electronic retrieval and submission of quotations," she said.

Some of the modules under e-procurement are supplier registration, central contract, direct purchase, tender and quotation.

All the modules have been completed and the central contract and direct purchase modules are currently being rolled out nationwide to all government Responsibility Centres or Pusat Tanggungjawab (PTJ).

As of October, a total of 584 PTJ's are e-procurement enabled.

A total of 45,166 active registered suppliers are already in the system.

"The new procurement system enables ministries, agencies and departments to electronically select items to be procured from the desktop, initiate an electronic approval process and create, submit and receive purchase orders, delivery orders and other related documents electronically," Nazariah said.