THE Auditor General’s Report on the Accounts for the Financial Year ended 31st December 2021 has revealed that during the farming season 2021/2022, government signed contracts for inputs in amounts totalling $430,336,620.18 which were not competitive, a trend which had gone on for over five years. The report has revealed that in July 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture continued with the practice of direct bidding using the justification of time constraint, a reason which was previously discouraged by the Public Accounts Committee. Meanwhile, the Auditor General has questioned the continued issuance of ‘No Objection’ to direct bid requests in over five consecutive farming seasons by the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA). “In Paragraph 44.2 (iv) of the Report of the...