The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) is advancing preparations for the rollout of Phase II features of the Malawi National Electronic Procurement System (MANePS).

The Authority is conducting User Acceptance Testing (UAT) to assess the new features before they are deployed onto the live environment.

The exercise brings together representatives from 18 Procuring and Disposing Entities (PDEs) to test the system from the perspective of its intended users.

The UAT follows the successful completion of a prototype review and feedback session, after which the initial version of the Phase II features was deployed to the UAT environment.

Phase II introduces 35 new features covering three key areas of public procurement: Contract Management, Disposal and Tendering, including Call-off Framework Agreement Contracts.

Through the testing exercise, participants are given an opportunity to interact with the system and assess how the new features perform under practical procurement scenarios.

The testing is also intended to establish whether the features meet the required procurement technical requirements before they are made available for wider use.

The participating PDEs represent a broad range of public institutions, including government departments, local authorities, public utilities, regulatory institutions and other public entities.

Their involvement is important because user feedback helps identify areas that may require refinement before the system moves from the testing environment to the live environment.

The Phase II features build on the initial rollout of MANePS, which introduced key functionalities covering Supplier Registration, Planning and Procurement Requisition, e-Marketplace and e-Tendering.

The continued expansion of MANePS is aimed at strengthening the digitalization of public procurement by enabling PDEs and suppliers to conduct procurement processes electronically in a more transparent, efficient and accountable manner.

Following the completion of testing, feedback and necessary refinements, PPDA is working towards deploying the Phase II features onto the live environment by 23 November 2026, marking another significant step in Malawi’s transition towards fully digital public procurement.