Suppliers’ engagement session

By Emily Setona

QWAQWA –Maluti -A- Phofung local municipality (MAP)’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jemina Mazinyo has highlighted three main issues that businesses should pay attention to, in order to be able to do business with the municipality.

Mazinyo said procurement process as guided by legislative mandate and compliance.
“Procurement is the process where the government buys goods and services using public money. Businesses must also understand that there is a legislative mandate that guides municipalities how to perform their functions and those who want to do business with the municipality have to comply with all the rules and regulations required of them to be able to do business with the municipality,” she said this at the first day of the business people road show engagement with MAP held at multi – purpose hall on the 6th of December.

Other suppliers’ roadshows will be held in Harrismith and Kestell on the 7th and 8th of December respectively.
According to Mazinyo there are different ranges of procurement agreements that the municipality can get into with a business owner.

“The objective of local government is to provide democratic and accountable government for local communities, to ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner and to promote social and economic development. People must understand that our role as a municipality is not to create jobs, but to help create an environment where economic development is possible. Part of the reason why we are here is to create our own database were a list of all the businesspeople who are here today is available to us so that if there are any opportunities, we can contact everyone,” Mazinyo said.

She said this will enable the supply chain management (SCM) team to contact prospective suppliers and request them for a quote for the service being procured.
Businesspeople were also advised to check municipality notice boards where a notice is placed to notify the community that there is a particular tender or service that the municipality needs.

“Businesspeople are urged to visit the municipality on a regular basis to find out what opportunities are there and make sure that their businesses are compliant, and that the standard of their service is up to standard.”
For her part Chief Accountant Expenditure Diakanyo Khampepe said for businesses to do business with the municipality and eventually get paid for their services, they must comply with all the requirements necessary.

“Businesspeople must understand that when they enter a contract with the municipality their business must be compliant. The municipality pays businesses within 30 working days. Business owners need to make sure that their businesses are compliant and have no outstanding documents in their procurement documents. When this happens the payment process is hindered because then as the pay master, I must communicate with the relevant department in the supply chain to see where the process might have gone wrong,” Khampepe said.

MAP’s CFO Jemina Mazinyo addressing local business owners during suppliers’ roadshow at Phuthaditjhaba multi-purpose hall.

One of business owners Tebello Morake who attended the engagement suggested that municipality must also give feedback to the businesses who have requested for quotations why they have not succeeded.

“The municipality have to explain to businesses why they failed to get the opportunity to be a service provider for the municipality. As a business owner filling out tender documents is not an easy process, and it is time consuming and also requires money. What I’d like to suggest is for the municipality to engage those of us who do apply for tenders in the municipality but fail to get the contract so that we know where we go wrong,” Morake said.

The point was noted by the CFO.
The engagement session was facilitated by Supply Chain Manager Nkgaudise Molefe while executive mayor Masetjhaba Lakaje Mosia welcomed the participants.