Public Procurement (Amendment) Regulations, 2016.

The amended Public Procurement Regulations of 2013, consisting of 88 sections, introduce significant changes to the procurement framework. They regard (i) Policy and Procedural Changes: the new regulations streamline definitions and place a strong emphasis on inclusivity, mandating that special groups (women, youth, the elderly, and people with disabilities) be considered in procurement decisions. Procedural changes have also been made to accelerate the process, reducing certain timelines and clarifying liability protections for procuring entities when they reject abnormally low tenders; (ii) Standardization and Preferences: to improve standardization, the amendments introduce new rules regarding trademarks and origin references, along with mandatory standards for government buildings and furniture. A major change is the establishment of a preference scheme for special groups, which includes a 30% exclusive procurement allocation. Additionally, contracts are now reserved for local firms to build their capacity; (iii) Specific Procurement and Contract Management: the rules for emergency procurement have been detailed, outlining steps for needs assessment and approval. The regulations also introduce fixed budget tendering and limit contract amendments to 15% of the original value unless further approval is granted. For international tenders, the use of INCOTERMS is now mandatory for evaluating bids; (iv) Administrative and Oversight Changes: the amendments streamline the administrative review process with faster timelines and clear escalation paths. Several schedules have also been updated to reflect new procurement thresholds, processing times, fees, and other limits.