Kenyan Officials Get Briefing on Governmental Purchasing Process
Senior officials from Kenya’s Public Procurement Oversight Authority are now better informed about effective governmental purchasing procedures in Georgia through a special program arranged for them by the Vinson Institute’s International Center on May 11, 2009. The eight-member delegation was visiting the Institute under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program.
The group’s agenda included meetings with American counterparts who work in public sector procurement in Washington, D.C., and in the Atlanta area, according to Njeri Marekia-Cleaveland, International Center faculty member and African program specialist. Vinson Institute faculty member Wes Clarke presented a thorough overview of Georgia state and local government purchasing and procurement systems and procedures, with a special focus on supporting the management objectives of accountability, transparency, ethical conduct, and meeting legal requirements.
“Although we found some similarities in our respective procedures, the officials were particularly interested in models that have a division of duties to create checks within the system. There was also interest in the use of competitive and noncompetitive methods of purchasing and contracting,” Clarke noted.
