The state could save the state R2.5 billion a year if it moved all government tender adverts online and doing the same with public job post ads in future, according to the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO).

In February, finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced in the 2016 Budget Speech that all government tenders notices and bids would soon be submitted through the state eTenders Publication Portal (or simply eTenders).

As of 1st April, all national and provincial departments are now required to advertise on eTenders and no longer post newspaper ads. Municipailties will be required to do the same from 1st July.

CPO, Kenneth Brown, said this would save government R1 billion a year in advertising costs.

“We met with the [media] publishing houses because they were saying this is going to have an adverse effect on their business and we said we understand but [they] need to accept that innovation is coming and [they] need to adjust [their] business models accordingly,” Brown said.

Brown added that a tender processing web app is in the pipeline to help his office cut down on time and paper work.

“…We are thinking of developing an app where if a company is registered on the Central Supplier Database and a tender gets advertised on the eTenders portal, we are going to send a notification to the company so that the company can say ‘here is a tender that is in line with my business’ and they can apply,” he said.

Following the launch of eTenders, the Office of the CPO is also mulling moving government job post ads from newspapers to a similar online portal, which could save an estimated R1.5 billion a year.

[Source – SA Government News Agency]