– Friday July 30, 2021; The Local Government Service (LGS) has completed the first in a series of training for Key staff of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) on Procurement and Contract Management. Training Beneficiaries included Coordinating Directors, Regional Engineers of Public Works Department, Feeder Roads and Urban Roads and Procurement officers. The training was aimed to sharpen the skills and improve the knowledge of participants to enable them execute project and contract management processes in line with the revised guidelines and regulations of some legislations.
The first in the series of trainings was held at Ho for officers from the MMDAs in Eastern, Oti and Volta Regions and featured technical sessions which were facilitated by experienced officers from the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) as well as others from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
Opening the training, the Regional Minister for the Volta Region, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa expressed worry about the manner in which some MMDAs award contracts without ensuring that these projects are delivered to the benefit of their stakeholders. Dr. Letsa urged the participants to at all times ensure fairness and transparency in the management of projects and contracts to promote a competitive local industry and boost public confidence.
The Director for Policy, Planning Monitoring and Evaluation at the Office of the Head of Local Government Service, Mr. George Gyapani Ackah who spoke on behalf of the Head of service called on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to collaborate with the MMDAs in the implementation of projects and programs to avoid duplication. He urged the participants to take the training seriously to develop the needed skills and competence to withstand any undue pressure that may rise in the course of implementation of projects.
Topics treated included Overview of Local Government Projects and Contracts, Role of Key Stakeholders and Actors in Contract Administration, Project Cycle Management, Contract Principles, Basics of Contract Administration, Forms and Conditions of Standard Contracts, Contracts Monitoring Performance and Reporting. Other topics addressed were Managing Contracts Changes and Variations, Funding’s, Payments, Claims and Settlements Disputes, Termination of Contracts and Managing Risks in Contracts. The presentation was followed with an open forum to clarify concerns and respond to questions of participants.
In a closing remark, Mr Ackah reiterated the need for the officers to continuously learn on the job to improve their performance. He commended participants for their matured comportment and encouraged them to put to practice the knowledge acquired during the training.
This training was held concurrently with others at Tamale, Ejisu, Sunyani, Takoradi and Elmina. The series of trainings continues in subsequent weeks.