Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has disclosed the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) approved a request from the Ministry to use a single source procedure to produce various personal protective equipment (PPE).
The Ministry, he said, requested quotations from registered suppliers based on their areas of business and then communicated to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) in accordance with Section 40 of Act 663 and requested approval to use the single source procedure to produce the various PPEs as it was an emergency.
The Minister disclosed this in Parliament on Thursday when responding to a question that stood in the name of the member for Bongo Edward Abambire Bawa who asked how the services of contractors were procured to produce PPE such as face masks, medical scrubs, hospital gowns and head gears in the fight against COVID-19.
Mr Agyeman-Manu explained this was how the Ministry procured the services of contractors to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) in fighting COVID-19 because of the emergency of the situation.
According to him, in the situation where the threshold involved is above that of the Ministry, they sought and received approval from the Central Tender Review Committee depending on the contract amount in accordance with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act 2003; Act 663 as amended.
“Regarding the locally produced PPE, the Ministry of Trade and Industry pre-qualified local manufacturing companies in the garment industry and submitted the names of the firms to the Ministry of Health for engagement,” Mr Agyeman-Manu said.
He noted that the Ministry of Health then sought and received approval from the PPA in accordance with Section 40 of Act 663 as amended to engage the local manufacturing firms to produce PPE, face masks, medical scrubs, hospital gowns and head gears in the fight against COVID-19; adding that this was to help strengthen the local capacity to respond to future pandemics.
He said contracts were awarded to the local manufacturers (contractors) upon receipt of all the necessary approvals.