In a bid to ensure that the government obtains value for money in its projects, the Public Procurement Appeals Authority (PPAA) has urged bidders to participate in training organized by the Appeals Authority aimed at building their capacity to use the module for submitting and handling complaints and appeals within the NeST.
The call was made by the Executive Secretary of PPAA, Mr. James Sando, on the sidelines of the 9th Annual Public Procurement Forum recently taking place in Arusha.
“This module has been developed to support the public and, more specifically, to align with government directives requiring public institutions to use ICT in delivering services to citizens in a timely manner,” said Mr. Sando.
After the Ministry of Finance, officially launched the Complaints and Appeals Management Module within the NeST in February 2025, PPAA in collaboration with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), has continued to conduct specialized training sessions on the use of the electronic complaints and appeals module in various zones across the country.
“In order to ensure that bidders and public procurement stakeholders are well-equipped to use the module, PPAA has continued its efforts to provide targeted training in different zones. So far, the Lake Zone, Northern Zone, and Southern Highlands Zone have been trained,” said Mr. Sando.
Mr. Sando further stated that, to date, PPAA has successfully trained 800 bidders and approximately 1,588 heads of procurement and legal departments from 500 Procuring Entities on the use of the complaints and appeals module.
He added that the module offers numerous benefits, including eliminating the need for a bidder to physically visit the offices of procuring entities or the PPAA to submit a complaint or appeal.
Additionally, it helps reduce costs and save time for bidders, as they no longer need to travel in order to file their complaints or appeals with PPAA.
“The module enhances transparency in the handling process of complaints and appeals, as a bidder who submits a complaint or appeal will also be able to track the various stages of the process. Furthermore, it facilitates better record-keeping of complaint and appeal information,” said Mr. Sando.
Along in the same line, Mr. Sando also urged bidders from Dodoma and neighboring regions to participate in a specialized training session on the electronic module for submitting and handling complaints and appeals within the NeST system. The training will be held at Lavenda Hall in Dodoma on June 18, 2025.
Earlier, while visiting exhibition booths at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) grounds before officially opening the 9th Annual Public Procurement Forum 2025, the Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women, and Special Groups, Dr. Dorothy Gwajima (MP), commended PPAA for introducing the electronic module for receiving and handling complaints and appeals.
Among other things, Dr. Gwajima pledged to be a voluntary ambassador in promoting the electronic complaints and appeals module to procurement stakeholders, especially women and special groups.