Procurement Aspects of Introducing ICTs solutions in Electoral Processes

Topic IndexICTs and electoral integrity

Procurement of electoral services and goods constitutes a major part of the organisation of elections in terms of planning, costs and implementation (purchasing and distribution). Integrity and transparency is thus essential - lack of integrity in the purchasing system may put the legitimacy of the whole electoral exercise at risk.

Integrity-related risk factors:

Lucrative electoral procurement contracts may attract dishonest firms offering kickbacks or other financial incentives to senior EMB officials and/or procurement officers, thus damaging the reputation of the procuring entity
The purchase of unsatisfactory and inappropriate equipment and services may come as a result of poorly defined specifications and/or dishonest procurement officers
Late delivery of goods and services or difficulties in distribution which may benefit intentional interests, makes it difficult for the EMB to maintain the original electoral calendar, possibly engendering political instability in the country

There are several measures available in order to lesson the possibility for integrity problems to arise:

First and most importantly, a well-defined procurement plan and an adequate implementation plan (it is important not only to have a plan but also a way to implement it), as well as a regular review of the procurement plan and implementation plan, form the basis of a smooth running of the purchase and distribution of electoral goods and services. Hence, a procurement plan is a dynamic document
The procurement plan and implementation plan should be planned well in advance for high tech solutions. EMBs should be reminded that money or more manpower does not necessarily solve timing issues. One example is the 2007 Nigerian elections where the electronic registration contracts were awarded, 11 weeks before registration should start, to three competing companies. A large amount of time was spent integrating the ICTs standards between the competing technologies, and the many hi-tech items (such as handhelds), originating from the same chip manufacturer. All three vendors used the same principle supplier and just added value and branding. A bottleneck was present even though three different vendors were selected with three different competing technologies
Procurement needs to be carried out through competitive and transparent procedures. To secure competitiveness, most procurement systems involve calls for tenders which may, depending on the circumstances, be open to all or impose some kind of restrictions on bidders and, in the case of the latter, it is important that the rules and procedures for becoming part of the shortlist of bidders is set out in a clear and transparent manner. By making the procurement processes public, especially if they involve large sums of money, such procedures can decrease the opportunities for dishonesty among firms and officers. This subsequently promotes transparency
Finally, the monitoring of the procurement process through the supervisory mechanisms of the EMBs and other oversight agencies is essential to the integrity of the process

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Procurement Aspects of Introducing ICTs solutions in Electoral Processes