Public contracts: Centre Governor urges stakeholders to embrace Online E-Procurement System.

The civil administrator was speaking in Yaounde Monday while presenting the platform which seeks to enhance efficiency and productivity in the public contracts sector.  

This was during the launch of the Centre regional phase of the national campaign for the sensitisation, popularisation and training of public contracts stakeholders on the online award of contracts through the Online E-Procurement System platform.

The project is part of a national campaign launched by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in Charge of Public Contracts, Ibrahim Talba Malla.

It was launched October 10 as part of the ministry’s broader efforts to promote the widespread usage of the newly-introduced online system used in the bidding and awarding of contracts in the sector.

During the three-day series launched yesterday, the sector’s stakeholders in the region will among other things, be schooled on the overall functioning of the online system known by its French language appellation as COLEPS. 

Authorities challenged to embrace system

Speaking in an address during the launch of the works, Governor Naseri Paul Bea said the platform which was introduced for the first time through the pilot phase between 2019 and last year, restates President Paul Biya’s dedication to modernise the Cameroonian administration and boost development through result-oriented innovations.

He challenged the stakeholders in the region to not only get abreast with the functioning of the platform but fully embrace its usage.

Governor Naseri said such professional moves by the stakeholders will give room for more productivity in the sector through the elimination of anti-results actions anchored among others, on connivance between contractors and administrative officials. 

“We are calling on the stakeholders to master all the instruments guiding this new way of awarding contracts so that we will not be left behind. We are a full part of the system of public contract and it is worthwhile that we too be part of the evolution,” he stated.

The superscale administrator insisted that such transparency and integrity, will as highlighted by the Head of State, enable the Center Region to join the rest of the country in the drive towards the full realisation of the 2020-2030 National Development Strategy, NDS. 

“We expect clear changes. We want to see into it that everybody has the opportunity to be able to use this platform in securing contracts without having to deal with delegated contract authorities and other stakeholders in the system so that it reduces connivance,” Naseri stated.

He expressed gratitude to the government of South Korea and the International Monetary Fund that provided financial and technical supports to the government for the putting place of the system.

He also praised authorities of the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies, ANTIC, for their continuous technical support. 

Futuristic workshop 

According to the Ministry of Public Contracts, participants will in the course of the three-day workshop, be drilled notably on registration on the platform and the legal framework for the dematerialisation of the public contracts system using the platform.

The stakeholders will also be taken through simulation exercises on the programming and launch of consultations, bid reception and decryption and the tabulation and evaluation of files using the platform as well as a simulation of the receipt of award proposals and publication of results on the system.

In an interview after the launch of the works, the project’s Head of Mission from the Ministry of Public Contracts, Paldou Christophe, said the workshop will put the stakeholders one step ahead as the government gradually drives towards fully transferring the activities of the public contracts sector from physical to online. 

“At the moment, the government is taking things slowly. But there will come a time when the activities of the sector will be completely pushed online. That is why we are calling on all actors to embrace the online system,” Paldou stated.

“We are hopeful that each actor involved will easily have access to the system. This will give way for free competition, efficiency and integrity will be attained. It is also going to help us to economize resources and time,” he added.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3260 of Tuesday October 15, 2024