The Uganda Registration Services Bureau has attributed weaknesses in its procurement processes to technical limitations in the government's electronic procurement system and inadequate funding, as it responds to findings raised by the Auditor General. Acting Registrar General Mustapher Ntale told Parliament's Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises that the Electronic Government Procurement system does not yet support the recording of procurement reservations for special interest groups, forcing URSB to maintain separate manual procurement plans. He said the bureau was engaging the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to address these technical gaps, with migration to an upgraded EGP system expected to improve procurement management.
The Auditor General had flagged low bidder participation in procurement processes, including instances where open bidding attracted only one response. Ntale said URSB had reviewed relevant files and confirmed that one open bidding process received only a single bid despite invitations being issued. The bureau said it would invite more firms to future procurement opportunities to encourage competition and broaden participation among potential bidders.
The audit also identified staffing gaps and inadequate training in the procurement function. Ntale told the committee that four of the five staff members in the Procurement and Disposal Unit had received training, and that URSB had recruited a procurement officer to address the shortage. Refresher training on the EGP system was also being organised. Ntale noted that procurement conducted outside the electronic platform accounted for about two per cent of all procurements undertaken by the bureau, which he attributed to system challenges.
The bureau also acknowledged the Auditor General's finding that its non-current assets, including its vehicle fleet, lacked insurance cover, blaming budgetary constraints for the gap. Ntale said URSB had assessed the cost of insuring its fleet and would seek funding in the next financial year's budget. He committed the bureau to making provision for comprehensive insurance of its fleet to the extent that funds permitted, and said any unfunded gap would be captured as an unfunded priority.