# Procurement oversight guide for CSOs ## Exercising oversight ### **Which parts of the procurement process are under scrutiny?** * Procurement planning (to a limited extent) * The bidding phase * Contract implementation A lack of transparency around public procurement can also make it difficult for the public and businesses to compete fairly for government contracts. The same suppliers may be contracted over and over, even when there are others who could deliver the same goods or services at a better price, or more effectively. ## The role of CSOs So far, few civil society organisations (CSOs) have focused their attention on monitoring public procurement in South Africa. Admittedly there are challenges involved in doing so, not least of all gaining access to the necessary documentation. However, there is still considerable scope to expand and enhance the monitoring of public procurement by civil society organisations, parliamentarians, the media, and other oversight actors in South Africa. When public procurement is not working as it should, service delivery is compromised, resulting in goods and services that are of poor quality, delivered late, or not delivered at all. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://openup.gitbook.io/training-content/procurement-data-crash-course/module-1-how-the-public-procurement-process-works/1.4-procurement-oversight-and-monitoring-for-npos-and-media/procurement-oversight-guide-for-csos.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.