Mauritius: Assessment report of the African Development Bank paves the way for further reform of the public procurement system | African Development Bank

Mauritius has made significant progress in strengthening its public procurement system, but there is room for improvement in e-procurement and capacity building for practitioners.

These are some of the findings of an assessment report that the African Development Bank launched virtually on February 15 from Port Louis, the capital. The bank conducted the study in collaboration with the government of Mauritius, using the MAPS framework, a universal standard for evaluating public procurement systems.

The report also includes recommendations for the government’s next steps in implementing the reforms.

Bhagwansingh Dabeesing, a member of the Procurement Policy Office (PPO) and member of the assessment team, said the government will prepare an action plan for short-, medium- and long-term implementation of the recommendations once the cabinet approves them.

Mauritius performed well on governance and showed a strong political commitment to improving its e-procurement system, which it rolled out in 2015. has taken strong ethical and anti-corruption measures.

The review also revealed critical gaps. These include a provision on mandatory participation of local companies, which may restrict foreign bidders in government contracts. It notes that the mechanism to appeal against decisions is currently not included in the electronic procurement system and that the process of selecting and awarding contracts is often lengthy.

Some of the report’s recommendations are already being put into practice. For example, in November 2022, the government contracted a legal expert to thoroughly review the legal framework for public procurement. The African Development Bank is supporting this effort with a grant of $134,013, part of which will also fund the adaptation of the legal framework to the e-procurement system.

The PPO is working with a local technical university to roll out a postgraduate project certificate course for capital project managers in March 2023.

The prosecution is also expected to work closely with the national anti-corruption agency to integrate corruption and collusion screening tools into the e-procurement system, the use of which is now mandatory.

Mauritius is also committed to making public procurement more sustainable by incorporating socio-economic and environmental considerations into its system.

The African Development Bank launched the report during a week-long mission to Mauritius led by Fiduciary Services and Inspection Director Frank Mvula. During the visit, the report’s findings were shared with the Mauritian private sector and other stakeholders. The banking team also spoke with representatives of partner organizations in the country.

Click here to download a copy of the report and here to read more about Maps.