Millions of South Africans are crying foul
over corruption! The Minister of Public Works Thulas Nxesi recently stated that
over 100 fraud and corruption cases involving over R34 billion are being
investigated. In truth, a great majority of this mammoth figure can be
attributed to tender fraud. To combat this, Managed Evaluation Integrity (MIE),
South Africa’s most trusted background screening company, has developed ZoomOut
– an early warning vetting system designed to root out tender fraud.
Ina van der Merwe, founder and CEO of MIE
says, “Too often fraud and corruption walk hand-in-hand, especially when it
comes to tenders. “We live in such an amazing country full of opportunity.
Nobody wants to see it brought down by the greed and corruption of the minority.
We need to root it out before it even begins. When it comes to
tenderpreneuring, this is now a possibility.”
With its extensive knowledge in vetting both
private and public enterprise employees and vendors, MIE has taken a proactive
step in combating tender fraud using ZoomOut. This software focuses on
detecting potential risks within the procurement and HR process. ZoomOut is
specifically designed to see the bigger picture by identifying associations
between vendors and employees.
ZoomOut is the interconnection between supply
chain and HR. The software passes through several layers of different spheres
of relationships, in order to detect risk and uphold integrity within the
procurement and recruitment process.
“By marrying the HR and supply chain process,
organisations can immediately ascertain whether a conflict of interest exists
between an employee and a vendor who intends to bid for the contract,” adds van
der Merwe.
Links are not strictly limited to
employee-vendor relationships. Conflicts of interests can also be flagged using
several matrix of information.
Van der Merwe believes that the best practice
to minimise risk in any organisation is to have the necessary policies in
place. “Check your people before you employ them. Check your existing employees
and ensure you have measures in place to check your employees’ relationships
with vendors registered on your organisation’s database.”
“All South Africans have a responsibility to create
a culture of accountability, transparency and good governance. ZoomOut is MIE’s contribution,” concludes Van
der Merwe.
