Government’s plans for reining in the country’s public procurement would be outlined in the Public Procurement Review, which will be published next month.

Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene told Parliament on Wednesday that the document would “clearly” outline the reforms to be implemented within the next five years.

This emerged as the 2014 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) revealed that government’s modernisation of its procurement systems had gained traction with the pilot expected to start at selected provinces and large national departments within the next few months.

The design of a national price-referencing mechanism had also been completed, as the country adopted a national approach to procurement.

The system, which was expected to enhance the cost-effectiveness of operations in the public sector, would be fully operational by April 1, 2015.

“Over the next three years, the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer will roll out a new national approach to procurement,” National Treasury stated in the MTBPS.

A national database of approved, compliant suppliers, service providers and contractors would be created, while the centralisation of contracting common goods and services, including air travel, standard equipment used in schools and clinics, information and communications technology infrastructure and hotel accommodation, would be considered.

Another national database would also be established to enable public monitoring of procurement plans and tenders and a formal platform would be developed to consider complaints and refer cases to the appropriate legal authorities.