Yaoundé: 77 private companies barred from public procurement ⁰

Seventy-seven private companies were denied government contracts last year, according to a document presented last October 27 by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Conac).

The decision followed cases of irregularities identified in the execution of the contracts previously awarded to them. These include issues such as incomplete projects, abandoned construction sites, and financial shortcomings.

As per the Public Contracts Code, the ban on participating in public procurement cannot exceed two years. Further violations by the same companies might lead to permanent exclusion, under regulatory guidelines. Apart from these bans, Conac did not outline any additional sanctions imposed on the affected companies.

Individuals or companies facing these restrictions are not eligible for administrative purchase order procedures or public contracts. While the government sees this as an effective means to filter bidders, some industry players believe it’s not effective against providers who simply change their company names or managers and reapply. In 2020, the Ministry of Public Contracts published a list of 369 providers suspended from public procurement, particularly for abandoning construction sites.

Source: Business in Cameroon