The Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) has announced new regulations under the Public Procurement (Preference and Reservation Schemes) Regulations, 2025, aimed at increasing citizen and local participation in public procurement.
The announcement follows the signing of Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 45 of 2025 by Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, on June 25, 2025.
ZPPA Principal Public Relations Officer, Iñutu Mushambatwa, said the new regulations apply to all public procurements involving targeted groups.
She added that procurements conducted under Open National Bidding will now be restricted to citizen and local bidders, with citizen bidders receiving priority during bid evaluations, in line with Section 39(2) of the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act No. 17 of 2023.
Ms. Mushambatwa further clarified that procurements under Open National Selection will also be limited to citizen and local bidders, with similar preferential treatment for citizen bidders as prescribed in Section 41(3) of the Act.
“Procuring entities shall adjust bid prices during the evaluation process according to the prescribed margins of preference to ensure a fair and beneficial outcome for targeted groups,” said Ms. Mushambatwa in a statement issued to RCV News in Lusaka today.
She advised all procuring entities to submit quarterly reports to ZPPA detailing all procurements where preference or reservation schemes were applied adding that these reports must be submitted by the 15th day of the month following each reporting quarter.
Ms. Mushambatwa also urged procuring institutions to engage with the Authority for guidance on the application of the new regulations and called on institutional heads to ensure that relevant staff are fully informed and compliant.
By Margaret Mwanza.
