The Public Service Commission wants a review of the directive requiring all ICT equipment used by state agencies be procured from a central pool.
ICT goods and services since July 2018 have been procured by the ICT Ministry headed by Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru.
The move was intended to ensure standardisation of ICT equipment, avoid duplication of ICT projects and lower costs.
All state agencies procuring computers – laptops and desktops, printers, servers and any other tech installations - are required to submit their plans for consolidation before purchase.
Centralised procurement was to ensure economies of scale and shared service strategy to reduce operations costs.
But the Public Service Commission says the arrangement has failed to address the discrepancies in the distribution of ICT support to civil servants.
The commission, in its audit for the period ending June 2020, said only 57 institutions across the public service were issued with ICT equipment by the ministry.
The PSC pointed out that the distribution of equipment appears to favour some institutions – citing the National Treasury – at the expense of others.
In its report, the PSC said the National Treasury received 400 (47.4 per cent) of all the laptops and 834 (45.7 per cent) of all the desktop computers issued.
It, therefore, wants public servants be facilitated with the requisite ICT resources for enhanced services.
“The policy on centralisation of procurement of ICT equipment should be reviewed,” the PSC said in the report signed by chairman Stephen Kirogo.
We have had significant savings, standardisation and security for the government ICT systems as a result of centralised procurement.
The commission wants the Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua to ensure the matter is looked into by June.
CS Mucheru, when contacted by the Star over the PSC assertions, said reviews are normal in any system, “as was the case with schools’ curriculum and police uniforms".
“That said, we have had significant savings, standardisation and security for the government ICT systems as a result of centralised procurement,” Mucheru said.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani, in a recent circular to ministries, state departments and agencies, said the order will remain in force for the next budget cycle – 2021-22 to 2023-24.
Yatani said this was not limited to the purchase of computers, printers, and other ICT equipment; ICT networking and other communication equipment; purchase of software; contracted ICT professional services; and purchase of photocopiers.
“MDAs will be required to justify the requirement they have submitted to the Ministry of ICT for such goods and related services,” the August 2020 circular read.
(Edited by V. Graham)