Of the N$106 billion national budget government announced for the current financial year, a significant amount representing billions of dollars will be spent on goods and services procured from the private sector. 

This substantial procurement, about 25% of Namibia’s GDP, is subject to stringent rules by the Procurement Policy Unit (PPU) in the finance ministry. 

However, allegations of persistent and serious violations of the procurement legislation continues to plague Namibia to the extent that some government entities are now amending their procurement specifications while others are bypassing the procurement process and securing goods directly from suppliers. 

When Namibia instituted a comprehensive evaluation of its public procurement system recently, the findings laid bare systemic vulnerabilities. 

In addition, the World Bank’s recent Methodology for Assessing Procurement Systems (MAPS) report, conducted in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) between September 2023 and April 2024, found that the procurement process in Namibia suffers from deeply rooted institutional, legal and operational weaknesses. 

Data issues further stymie procurement transparency. MAPS found that procurement data is not systematically collected or analysed and there is no robust national monitoring-and-evaluation (M&E) framework in place. This leaves Namibia’s oversight reactive and weak instead of being proactive and informed. 

One blatant procurement discrepancy is the use of brand specifications in procurement tenders. Although widespread in the private sector, this practice is not only in direct contravention of Namibia’s Procurement Act and associated regulations, but also fundamentally undermines the principles of fairness, transparency, and competitiveness, pillars the Public Procurement system is meant to uphold. 

Also referred to as “over-specification”, this practice favours a specific brand, with tender documents including excessive and unnecessary specifications that amounts to indirect product endorsement and are therefore exclusionary. 

This over-specification goes against the very foundation of Namibia’s procurement legislation as it often results in elimination of potential bidders and stifles healthy competition. 

New Era has seen public entity procurement documents with specifications relating to a particular brand. However, when approached by suppliers the entities amended the specifications to include a wider range applicable to more than one brand. 

Efforts to get comment from the PPU went unanswered at the time of going to print. 

World Bank 

Another glaring issue highlighted by MAPS is the poorly defined roles across Namibia’s procurement cycle. This is because responsibilities of the Procurement Policy Unit (PPU), the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN), and individual procuring entities overlap, hampering both efficiency and accountability. 

Equally problematic are the legal and regulatory ambiguities. While Namibia’s Public Procurement Act establishes a set framework, its regulations lack robust safeguards. In this regard the World Bank stated that provisions governing non-competitive procurement, ministerial exemptions, and foreign bidder participation are either vague or under-specified, thereby deterring competition and opening the door to misuse. 

At the recent launch of the latest Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Procurement Tracker in August 2025, research associate Frederico Links chimed in with urgency: “Critical gaps were identified across the four core pillars of the procurement framework”. Links stressed that vague responsibilities, governance overlaps, under-resourcing of the PPU, and rudimentary digital systems are key drivers of dysfunction. 

In its recommendations, the World Bank offered a layered roadmap to reform Namibia’s procurement system. 

These recommendations include elevating the PPU into an empowered authority; clarifying institutional roles to eliminate overlaps, strengthening contract management, and regulating ministerial exemptions and foreign competition. 

The World Bank al so recommends developing a national Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework to systematically collect procurement data, drive analytics, support compliance enforcement, and foster public oversight. 

The bank also urges Namibia to professionalise procurement by introducing standard qualification requirements for procurement roles and enhancing training and accreditation across public entities while ensuring greater accountability, including robust audit mechanisms, public asset and financial disclosures, and formal publication of appeal and review outcomes. 

In fact, World Bank country representative Mariama Cire Sylla, advocates elevating procurement from a clerical function to a strategic enabler. 

Sylla has suggested that by establishing an autonomous procurement agency, separate from the finance ministry, Namibia could better drive strategic goals, value for money, equity, environmental and social objectives, and public trust through transparency and good governance. 

In its overall recommendations, the World Bank stated that reforming public procurement in Namibia is not just a bureaucratic exercise, but holds the promise of better services, empowered communities, sustainable development, and restored citizen trust. 

However, implementation of a reformed system will require meticulous sequencing, including institutional reforms, capacity building, legal reforms, digital transformation as well as a cultural change. 

What has bolstered Namibia’s procurement system to a certain extent was the introduction of centralised oversight through the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) which has strengthened governance. The CPBN ensures tender notices are publicly advertised, and bidders have access to information, which is a positive step for transparency. 

“At the same time, concerns are often raised around bureaucratic delays, lack of timely communication, and sometimes limited capacity within procurement bodies to efficiently handle the large volume of bids. Government procurement can benefit from economies of scale when multiple vehicles are purchased under one tender, often achieving better pricing than individual buyers”, explained national sales manager for Pupkewitz Toyota, Jaco Barnard. 

He added that the procurement process can sometimes prioritize lowest price over long-term value, which may result in the procurement of vehicles that are not the most suitable in terms of durability, service availability, or lifecycle cost, particularly in Namibia’s tough operating conditions. 

“The system does create opportunities for local dealers to participate and supply vehicles, which helps sustain the motor industry and related services (repairs, parts, aftersales support). 

Procurement processes can be slow and inflexible, leading to long lead times before government departments receive their vehicles. This can affect service delivery, especially in critical sectors such as health, police, and emergency services,” Barnard stated. 

Noting that the procurement framework has succeeded in establishing accountability and fairness, Barnard said this is a major improvement from older systems that were more vulnerable to favouritism. 

“The challenge now lies in efficiency and practicality, ensuring tenders not only comply with the law but also deliver vehicles that are reliable and cost-effective over their lifespan”, Barnard added.