By Kebba AF Touray
The Gambia Standards Bureau (TGSB) has recently held technical committee meeting to revise and update vehicle specification for procurement.
The revision and update exercise is in fulfilment of a key function of the bureau as stipulated in Section 5 (a) of the TGSB Act of 2010, in defining, preparing, publishing, modifying or amending standard specifications.
This review meeting was triggered by the outcome of a stakeholder consultative meeting organized by the collaborators of TGSB, such as the GPPA in November, with the objective of discussing with them, the challenges of procurement of vehicles and associated quality issues.
Phoday Jaiteh, the Director of the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA), said the economic development of any country significantly depends on the effectiveness of its public expenditure and the performance of its public procurement system.
“The public procurement system is a strategic development tool that can be used to achieve policy goals of the Government to deliver public services to improve the lives and well-being of citizens,” he said.
He underscored that incorporating responsible business standards such as vehicle specification into the buying policy of the government, will promote social responsibility and sustainable development practices. These, he outlined, include the optimization of VFM and the minimization of the risks of misprocurement, the minimization of waste and environmental damage, the lowering of carbon footprints, and the promotion of the circular economy and green products.
“GPPA is also partnering with GIEPA and stakeholders to develop a local content bill to promote ‘made in the Gambia’ and to support SMEs, women-led businesses, youth enterprises and mainstream the physically challenged in public procurement,” Mr. Jaiteh said.
He said a local content policy will increase employment, enable industrial growth, and protect Gambian citizens’ employment rights.
He assured that they will engage in successful and interactive deliberations in order to ultimately produce an effective policy recommendation to the Government of The Gambia.
Mr. Papa Secka, the Director of TGSB, said the revision of standards either at the national, regional or international level is an integral part of the standards development process. He said an average period for maturity of standards due for revision has been standardized at five years with the provision to amend. He emphasized that the revision and updating of the standard for vehicle specifications is timely, given that it was published in the Government Gazette in 2021.
“The development of this standard was undertaken by the technical committee for transportation with members drawn from all the registered vehicle dealers, and with government regulatory and oversight institutions,” Mr. Secka said, adding that the membership was also drawn from consumer representatives and independent experts.
The vehicle specification standards, he said, define the classification for various types of commercially available vehicles, as well as minimum technical, quality, and optimal equipment specification.
The Standard, he went on, covers both the performance and operational elements, whereas the performance specification gives insight into the vehicle’s power and acceleration capabilities, which helps to decide whether or not the expectations of the consumer are met.
“These standards ensure the vehicles we procure are safe, durable, and economical, and provide uniformity in the acquisition process,” Mr. Secka said.
