Govt Moves to Curb Overpricing: National Standard Price List Introduced In a major push for fiscal discipline, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, in conjunction with the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ), has introduced a National Standard Price List (NSPL).

The new system is designed to standardize the cost of commonly used goods and services across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), ensuring that the government gets value for money and putting an end to the era of inflated invoices and overcharging by suppliers.

Key Highlights of the New Procurement Policy Standardized Pricing: The NSPL acts as a mandatory guide to prevent price inconsistencies across different government branches.

Buy Zimbabwe First: In line with the 2026 National Budget, the government will now give strict priority to domestically produced goods and services.

Local Currency Payments: To support the stability of the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), the government has declared that all payments to local suppliers will now be made solely in the local currency.

Digital Oversight: This move is tied to the rollout of the electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) System, which allows for better financial oversight and transparency.

The USD Reference Point: Why PRAZ is Still Quoting in Dollars While payments will be settled in local currency, PRAZ has clarified that the NSPL will continue to quote prices in US Dollars.

This might seem contradictory at first, but the Authority explains that using the USD as a "uniform reference framework" is necessary to:

Reduce Distortions: It prevents the constant need to manually update the list due to daily exchange rate fluctuations.

Provide a Stable Baseline: It ensures that the government and suppliers are looking at a consistent value before converting to the final ZiG payment amount at the prevailing interbank rate.

Impact on Suppliers and Contractors Suppliers wishing to do business with the state must now align their pricing with the NSPL. Any bids or invoices that significantly exceed these standard benchmarks will likely be flagged or rejected under the new transparency measures.

Pro-Tip for Businesses: You can access the full National Standard Price List on the Ministry of Finance website (www.zimtreasury.co.zw) or the PRAZ downloads page (www.praz.org.zw) to ensure your next tender is compliant.