In line with the Public Procurement Regulations 2008 made by the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development under section 61 of the Public Procurement Act (PPA), Directive No. 22 issued pursuant to section 7 of the PPA and the Public Procurement (Electronic Bidding System) Regulations 2015, a public body is required to engage in procurement planning in order to ensure that procurement is carried out within financial estimates allocated to it.

Public bodies are required to, not later than 30 June in a year, prepare their annual procurement plan in respect of the following financial year. Public bodies are required to submit their annual procurement plan to the Procurement Policy Office by latest the 15th July of each year and the annual procurement plan using the open advertised bidding method shall, where appropriate, not later than 31 July of every year, be posted on the e-procurement system. The public body shall publish on its website an annual procurement plan and periodically update and revise it.

The annual procurement plan shall include:

• • the type and quantity of the goods, works or services to be procured;

• • the timing and implementation of the procurement;

• • an indication of possible packages of procurement, and their value;

• • an indication of possible per-qualification proceedings and procurement methods used; and

• • such other information as may be required in accordance with instructions issued by the Policy Office.

A public body may establish a Committee of Needs in accordance with instructions issued by the Policy Office, to plan any individual procurement identified in its annual procurement plan.

The annual procurement plan for the Ministry of Health and Wellness are as follows: