Hassan Al-Sitri
The Financial and Economic Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives approved a draft law amending the law regulating government tenders, bids, purchases and sales.
The project aims to address the shortcomings and address the problems and challenges that emerged during the practical application of the current law, and modernize government procurement and sales systems in line with economic developments and changes at the local, regional and international levels, adopt best practices, and adopt advanced standards and procedures that achieve efficiency, effectiveness and transparency in bidding processes.
The Tenders and Auctions Board saw that the provisions of the draft law come within the framework of improving the procedures for government tenders and auctions, by raising the maximum value of government tenders, auctions, purchases and sales falling within the jurisdiction of entities subject to the law from 25 thousand dinars to 50 thousand dinars for ministries and government agencies, and raising the maximum value of government tenders, auctions, purchases and sales falling within The powers of entities subject to the law range from 50 thousand dinars to 100 thousand dinars for companies wholly owned by the state.
The Council stated that the draft law allows amending the limits referred to above by a decision of the Council of Ministers, in view of the economic changes and the actual need associated with the purchases of entities subject to the law, as the draft law comes in view of what the Council observed of fluctuations in prices and their tendency to mostly rise at the local, regional and international levels.
The draft law provides more flexibility regarding contracts that are made, proposed and implemented outside the Kingdom of Bahrain, given the special nature of those contracts that are usually linked to the legislation of the countries in question. The draft law also enhances the flexibility of procedures, and also allows the disposing party to negotiate with suppliers or contractors in specific cases, with the aim of raising the quality of government services, preserving public money and sustaining resources. The draft law comes with provisions that are compatible with Economic developments and changes at the local, regional and international levels, and addresses the shortcomings of the current law.
For its part, the Financial and Administrative Oversight Bureau stated that the draft law does not contain any constitutional violation, and the amendments contained in the draft law do not conflict with the laws in force in the Kingdom of Bahrain, nor do they conflict with the Bureau’s exercise of its oversight over the entities subject to oversight in accordance with the provisions of the Financial and Administrative Oversight Bureau law.
The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry saw the approval of the draft law, because it is consistent with the vision of the Kingdom of Bahrain and its future directions, especially in light of the rapid development witnessed in the field of technology and the adoption of advanced technologies, and aims to enhance the efficiency of tenders and auctions through the multiple advantages it provides, including improving procedures, increasing levels of transparency, and providing sufficient flexibility to meet the needs of the various parties concerned. The draft law comes as a qualitative step. It contributes to achieving the Kingdom’s goals and supporting the competitiveness of its economy at the local and global levels.
