Government is to amend the Public Procurement Act to shorten procurement timelines, tighten restrictions on sole sourcing and improve value for money in public spending.
Presenting the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minister for Finance, said the reforms were intended to speed up project delivery while strengthening transparency and accountability.
He said procurement lead times for national competitive tendering for goods would be reduced from 23 weeks to eight weeks, while international competitive tendering for works would be shortened from 27 weeks to 14 weeks.
The Minister said competitive tendering would remain the standard procurement method, with single-source procurement permitted only under genuine exceptional circumstances such as emergencies, national security or where only one supplier was capable of providing the required service.
He stressed that urgency resulting from poor planning would no longer qualify as an emergency.
Government will also introduce sanctions against officials who approve procurement processes in breach of the Public Procurement Act.
Dr Forson said the reforms would strengthen competition, improve efficiency, reduce procurement abuse and ensure better value for taxpayers’ money.
