Ministry of Finance has published a policy to mitigate the risk of corruption during procurement related to COVID-19 operations in the Maldives.
The policy, which was signed by Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer, was formulated to ensure procurement overseen by state institutions are carried out in a transparent manner. The finance ministry said the policy was formulated with input from Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The policy states the authority of undertaking expenses must not lie with one person, and the responsibilities must be divided among different personnel. It also states any decisions made must be documented, with details on the reason behind the decision as well as the parties involved in making the decision. Furthermore, the expenses must be reported to the finance ministry, with the finance executive of the institution held responsible to ensure the reports are submitted.
The policy also states emergency procurements must follow the relevant clauses of the Public Finance Act, while the awarding of contracts must be carried out with consideration to maximising the benefit to the state. State institutions are required to ensure the contractor has the technical and financial capability to carry out the required job. Responsibilities of all parties must be clarified on written documentation and must be overseen regularly.
Furthermore, the policy states contracts must be awarded after seeking as many interested companies as possible in order to increase competition. It also states the required permits must be sought from the relevant authorities before awarding the contract.
In addition, the policy requires all information regarding a tender must be made available at the website of the institution. The information must include the tender date and name of the contractor, as well as the price and duration of work.