The government will drastically reduce public procurement timelines and tighten sole-source contracting rules to accelerate project delivery and strengthen accountability, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has announced.

Presenting the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Thursday, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson said the reforms would streamline public procurement while preserving transparency, competition and value for money.

Under the new measures, the lead time for national competitive tendering for goods will be reduced from 23 weeks to eight weeks, while international competitive tendering for works will be shortened from 27 weeks to 14 weeks.

The Finance Minister stressed that competitive tendering would remain the government's preferred procurement method. He said sole-source procurement would only be permitted under genuine exceptional circumstances, including emergencies, matters of national security or where only a single supplier is capable of providing the required goods, works or services.

"Delays arising from poor planning will no longer be treated as an emergency," Dr Forson told Parliament.

He announced that the government would also tighten the rules governing restricted tendering and sole-source procurement to improve transparency, strengthen accountability and secure better value for public funds. Officials who approve procurement decisions in breach of the Public Procurement Act will face sanctions, he added.

"Competitive tendering must remain the norm. Restricted tendering and single source procurement must be the exception," the Finance Minister said, describing the reforms as essential to reducing procurement-related abuses and promoting fair competition.

Dr Forson explained that the procurement reforms form part of a broader package of expenditure measures contained in the Mid-Year Budget Review aimed at improving the efficiency of public spending.