Freetown, Sierra Leone, 28th March, 2026. The National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA) convened a high-level technical review meeting on the ongoing review of the Public Procurement Act 2016, as part of efforts to strengthen and modernize the country’s public procurement legal framework.
The meeting brought together representatives from key institutions, including the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Audit Service Sierra Leone, Law Officers’ Department, Ministry of Justice, Public-Private Partnership (PPP), Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), Budget Advocacy Network Sierra Leone (BAN-SL), Institute for Governance Reform (IGR), Independent Procurement Review Panel (IPRP), Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources and the Procurement Directorate of the Ministry of Finance. Their participation reflected a multi-sectorial and inclusive approach to the reform process.
Opening the session, the NPPA Chief Executive Officer welcomed participants and provided an overview of progress made in the review process. He emphasized the purpose of the engagement, stating that “the technical review meeting was convened to carefully examine and critically contribute to the proposed amendments, ensuring alignment with national priorities and responsiveness to practical implementation challenges.”
He also informed participants that the nationwide stakeholder consultations had been successfully conducted across all regions of the country, covering Kenema (East), Bo (South), Makeni (North), Port Loko (North-West), and Freetown (Western Area).
Before the commencement of presentations and discussions, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer addressed participants, encouraging active engagement and constructive contributions to the review process. He underscored the importance of stakeholders providing practical input to ensure the final legislation is both effective and implementable.
The lead consultant, Mr. Simeon Sahaydachne (Esq.), thereafter presented an overview of the reform process, explaining that it is guided by the Methodology for Assessing Procurement Systems (MAPS). He noted that the assessment helped identify gaps in the current system and informed the development of the proposed amendments.
He further highlighted that the draft reforms introduce several improvements, including framework agreements, strengthened procurement planning, improved institutional arrangements, enhanced contractor performance management, green and sustainable procurement as well as gender-responsive procurement and greater consideration for persons with disabilities. He explained that “the MAPS assessment provided a clear diagnostic of existing gaps and has significantly informed the structure of the proposed amendments.”
The session featured active discussions, during which participants raised key observations and recommendations. These included the need for clearer provisions on framework contracts, stronger whistleblower protections, debarment proceedings and enhanced requirements relating to beneficial ownership transparency.
The IPRP also raised concerns regarding the duration of the redress mechanism. Participants agreed that the relevant provisions should be strengthened to ensure that procurement complaints and disputes are resolved within clearly defined and stipulated timelines, in order to improve efficiency and accountability in the system.
The NPPA reaffirmed that all contributions from stakeholders will be carefully considered before the final draft is submitted to the Law Officers’ Department for legal review and subsequent processing.
The Authority expressed appreciation to all participating institutions for their continued support and commitment to advancing reforms aimed at strengthening Sierra Leone’s public procurement system.
NPPA Contact Information
Email: info@nppa.gov.sl
