CIAA suggests preparing national standards on procurement and maintenance of information systems

KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 9: The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has recommended the three tiers of the government to prepare and enforce national standards so as to bring uniformity in the actions related to the need assessment, cost estimate, plan execution and maintenance and operation of information technology systems. The anti-graft body has suggested that any agencies under MoCIT should be entrusted with the responsibility to prepare and implement national standards on the specification and cost estimation of IT systems, hardware and software and update such standards regularly.

In a press release issued here yesterday, CIAA spokesperson Narahari Ghimire said the procurement of goods and services of IT systems and its development seems prone to corruption so emphasis has been laid on the importance of such policy and mechanism. The commission’s suggestion comes in the context of the past decisions and purchases made by the government regarding information technology-related goods and services including Terramox and MDMS.

It has been suggested that serious corruption-related activities can be done by misusing the complexity of technology used in communications and information technology and ignorance in the public sector. To that end, it has been decided to dispatch a letter to all the federal ministries, bodies, offices, provincial ministries and offices and local levels through the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers for the implementation based on the questions and analysis of the facts received in the course of investigation of the complaints received in the Commission.

The Commission has also suggested making full preparations regarding the design of the system, detailed project report, ensuring resources, cost estimate, project implementation, project transfer, mobilization of internal human resources, estimation of expected benefits from the project, maintenance and operation, etc. based on the updated criteria after analyzing the needs of the information technology system to be purchased before procuring the goods of such systems.

The constitutional body has asked the government to complete the documentation of such tests by making it mandatory to complete the temporary approval test while making partial payment after the purchase and installation of the communications and information technology system and to complete the final approval test after the operation of the fixed-term business transaction of the system while making full payment.—