Buy Zimbabwe to host Public Procurement Conference and Awards

STAFF WRITER

Buy Zimbabwe will host the much-anticipated Public Procurement Conference (PPC) and Awards on August 20, 2025, at the Golden Conifer in Strathaven, Harare.

This year’s edition will run under the theme, “Anchoring Zimbabwe’s Economic Growth on Public Procurement,” reflecting the growing recognition that public sector procurement is a critical lever for national development.

The conference is set to shine a spotlight on the transformative power of public procurement in promoting local content, creating jobs, building wealth, and fostering national pride.

In a statement, Buy Zimbabwe said the annual gathering is designed to advance and share knowledge and best practices in procurement, while providing a high-level networking platform for procurement experts, public institutions and industry players.

This year’s PPC will be held concurrently with the Public Procurement Awards, an initiative that recognises public and private sector buyers who are actively supporting local industry by procuring goods and services from Zimbabwean companies.

The awards are intended to celebrate innovation, impact, and commitment to the Buy Zimbabwe agenda. According to the organisers, they will acknowledge those procurement professionals who are walking the talk by ensuring that Zimbabwean suppliers are not just an afterthought but a priority in procurement decisions.

In a major development expected to shape future procurement policy, Buy Zimbabwe will commission a comprehensive study at the conference to be undertaken by Select Research.

The research will assess the levels of local procurement by public entities and measure the associated multiplier effect on the economy. This evidence-based approach marks a shift in strategy by Buy Zimbabwe towards data-driven advocacy, aimed at quantifying the impact of procurement decisions on local job creation, industrial competitiveness and GDP growth.

Another groundbreaking initiative to be unveiled at the conference is a real-time online procurement portal, being developed in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

The portal is set to revolutionise how procurement is managed by offering an integrated digital platform for supplier registration, tender opportunity curation, and local content certification. It will feature an indexing system that scores procurement entities on their support for local suppliers, while also recognising suppliers based on their level of local content.

Buy Zimbabwe said the portal will also serve as the foundation for the Public Procurement Index, a new benchmarking tool that will track procurement trends across ministries, sectors and regions. The index is expected to enhance transparency, foster competitiveness, and create pressure for compliance with regulations issued by the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ). It will expose gaps in policy enforcement while incentivising both buyers and suppliers to prioritise local sourcing.

Data gathered through the index will form the backbone of Buy Zimbabwe’s advocacy work. The organisation plans to use the findings to lobby government and policymakers for a greater share of public procurement to be ring-fenced for local firms. This, they argue, is essential if Zimbabwe is to achieve meaningful industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.

As the country continues to grapple with economic headwinds and external shocks, Buy Zimbabwe is positioning itself at the forefront of a national drive to build economic resilience through local empowerment. The organisation reiterated its unwavering commitment to strengthening the local value chain and driving a patriotic procurement agenda.

In a statement, Buy Zimbabwe said: “We remain firmly committed to the production, consumption and procurement of local content. Our goal is to ensure that Zimbabwean products are not only competitive but also prioritised in all procurement processes. We will continue to fight for market access for local firms, and develop tools and platforms that empower them to compete and win.”

The 2025 Public Procurement Conference and Awards promises to be a defining moment in Zimbabwe’s industrial development narrative.

Through a blend of thought leadership, recognition, policy tools and digital innovation, the event is set to reframe procurement as a cornerstone of economic growth—and position local companies at the heart of Zimbabwe’s future.