The Procurement Oversight Unit has been created under the provisions of the Public Procurement Act 2008. As per the act, procurement is defined as the acquisition by purchase, lease, tenancy, hire purchase, licence, franchise or by any other contractual means of any type of works, assets, services or goods. Hence, this unit as per the provisions of the act is mandated to serve as a procurement policy making and monitoring body which should at no instance be involved in the conducting of the procurement procedures and proceedings itself. The latter, remains the responsibility of the various procurement units of the various organizations, department, ministries and parastatals. Amongst several functions, the Unit is responsible ( in summary form) for:

• Formulating procurement policy for the whole of government
• Monitoring procurement methods and procedures 
• Issuing policy directives and circulars
• Issuing standard forms of contract
• Issuing standard bidding documents
• Ensuring compliance with the Procurement Act
• Preparing and conducting training programs for stakeholders regarding procurement.
• Communicate and cooperate with international institutions, funding agencies and other foreign entities on matters of procurement.
• Receive complaints from procuring entities about suppliers, contractors and consultants.
• Maintaining a list of firms that have been excluded from participating in public procurements and communicate the list to procuring entities in a transparent manner, on a regular basis.
• Vetting of bidding documents and public notices submitted to ensure compliance with the relevant law, policies and regulations and within such time as may be prescribed after having received the documents , may authorize the procuring entity to call for bids, or utilize another appropriate procurement method

The unit operates in close collaboration with other independent bodies such as the National Tender Board, procurement committees and independent review panel in achieving the main principles of public procurement which is transparency, competition, economy, efficiency, fairness and accountability.