Minister of Trade and Industry, Mmusi Kgafela urged procurement professionals to discontinue using brand names in Invitation to Tenders (ITTs) but rather reference standards to promote quality of local produce.

Officially launching the National Quality Policy on Friday, Kgafela said one of the most effective means of attaining a quality culture is the promotion of use of standards which is done through referencing standards specifications in both Tender documents, Invitation to Tender (ITTs) and the Regulations. “I would like to take this opportunity to call upon the procurement professionals in both public and private sector as well as the Regulators to inculcate the practice of referencing standards specifications and desist from the use of brand names especially in their ITTs.”

The National Quality Policy advocates for support to SMMEs to conform to standards and technical regulation. Kgafela said the use of brand names in tenders is against the Government aspirations of SMME development as it creates unfair competition by granting unfair advantage to the owner of the brand against the new entrant who has no known brand as is usually the case with SMMEs.

The National Quality Policy is the basic Government instrument that sets out the objectives and strategies of the country regarding the development and use of the Quality Infrastructure (QI) and Technical Regulations (TR) in relation to its economic and societal needs and the building of quality culture. It is envisaged that this Policy will contribute to the National Vision 2036 pillar of sustainable economic development which calls for vibrant small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) and the manufacturing sector that will produce high-quality products for the export market.

“Implementation of this policy will eliminate duplications and perceived contradictions overlaps in the current Technical Regulation. It will further lead to a much smoother progress in the accreditation of goods and services as well as improved service delivery to both the local and external customer.”