Zimbabwe gvernment launches 'national price list'

The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) has unveiled a National Standard Price List (NSPL), a landmark initiative aimed at curbing rampant overcharging in public sector procurement. The new framework, developed with the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) and the National Competitiveness Commission (NCC), establishes uniform pricing benchmarks for commonly procured goods and services across government departments and agencies.

According to PRAZ, the NSPL will be used throughout the procurement cycle—from planning and bid evaluation to contract awards—to assess the reasonableness of supplier prices. This comes after repeated concerns from the Treasury about instances where suppliers charged the Government three to five times the market rate, often citing inflation and long payment cycles as justification.

"The NSPL should not be construed as a price control, but as a reference tool to enable informed procurement decisions," said PRAZ Chief Executive Dr Clever Ruswa in a circular to accounting officers dated February 26, 2026.

The framework stipulates that prices be denominated in US dollars, allowing a maximum variance of 10 percent to account for market fluctuations and geographic differences. Any tenders exceeding this threshold must be supported by documented market evidence, approved through internal governance structures, and reported to PRAZ quarterly. Larger procurements beyond an accounting officer's financial threshold will also undergo mandatory scrutiny by the Special Procurement Oversight Committee.

Accounting officers—including permanent secretaries, heads of government departments, and constitutional commission chairpersons—are responsible for ensuring strict adherence to the NSPL. Procurement management units must demonstrate NSPL benchmarking in all tender evaluations, while internal audit units will monitor compliance during routine oversight.

For goods and services not covered in the NSPL, procuring entities are required to conduct market consultations and perform a price reasonableness analysis before awarding contracts. PRAZ has also committed to continuously reviewing and updating the list to reflect market changes and stakeholder feedback.

Economists say the NSPL is a much-needed "institutional guardrail" to address rent-seeking and systemic inefficiencies in public procurement. Economist Enoch Musara described the framework as a practical solution that balances price controls with market realities.

"The mandatory NSPL benchmark finally addresses the root causes of rent-seeking in our public sector," Musara said. "It introduces accountability while allowing reasonable flexibility for market conditions."

With the NSPL now in force, government departments have a clear tool to prevent fiscal leakages and ensure taxpayers get value for money, marking a significant step toward more transparent and efficient public spending in Zimbabwe.