By Staff Reporter
The Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) and the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening competition, transparency and integrity in public procurement.
The agreement, signed in Windhoek on Monday, establishes a formal framework for the two institutions to cooperate in preventing, detecting and addressing anti-competitive practices that could undermine competition and the effective use of public resources.
The partnership will focus on practices including collusive tendering, bid-rigging, abuse of dominance and tailored bidding specifications that may restrict competition and affect the value of public resources.
The MoU provides for information and intelligence sharing, joint research into market behaviour and sectors vulnerable to collusion, as well as awareness programmes, workshops, seminars, training and technical cooperation.
A Joint Working Committee will coordinate activities, monitor implementation, identify emerging challenges and recommend measures to strengthen the partnership.
The agreement also provides mechanisms for handling complaints, concurrent jurisdiction, confidentiality and dispute resolution, while maintaining the independence and statutory mandates of both institutions.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, CPBN Chief Executive Officer Idi Itope said the partnership reflects the alignment between the mandates of the two institutions and their shared objective of supporting sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Itope said procurement integrity could not be safeguarded through procurement law alone when conduct such as bidder collusion, price fixing, market allocation or restrictive specifications was involved.
“This MoU is simply the road that connects the two institutions’ shared ambition of a dynamic procurement system and a dynamic marketplace,” Itope said.
NaCC chief executive officer and secretary to the commission Vitalis Ndalikokule said the MoU represents an important milestone in strengthening fair competition, transparency and integrity within Namibia’s economy.
Ndalikokule said the agreement was also a direct deliverable of the National Competition Policy 2020–2025, which calls for a cooperation mechanism between the NaCC and the public procurement authority to enhance competition in public tenders and reduce bid-rigging practices.
The collaboration is expected to strengthen the ability of both institutions to identify and address restrictive business practices affecting public procurement, while improving institutional capacity and understanding of competition and procurement principles.
Through the MoU, the CPBN and NaCC reaffirmed their commitment to procurement processes that protect public resources, promote fair opportunities for businesses and contribute to sustainable economic development.
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