ARMP CONTINUES ITS MISSION OF SUPPORTING CONTRACTING AUTHORITIES IN ESTABLISHING (STRUCTURING/RESTRUCTURING) THEIR PUBLIC PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT UNITS

As part of this mission, a delegation from the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARMP) carried out a visit to Kinkala, the capital of the Pool Department, on 25 September last, in order to provide technical and operational support for the establishment of its Public Procurement Management Unit (CGMP).

Led by Mrs Blanche Zéraline BAYOULOULA, Coordinator and Head of the Training Service at the Directorate of Training and Technical Support (DFAT), the delegation was composed of Mr Lucien ELENGA and Mr Arnault NGATSE-ANGA, respectively Head of the Legal and Litigation Service and Head of the Communication Office.

In Kinkala, the ARMP delegation was received by the Director of Cabinet of the Prefect of the Pool Department, Mr BENAZO MÉDARD, and his collaborators, with whom it discussed and presented the role of the CGMP within the contracting authority and the need for its establishment.

As part of the dynamic initiated by ARMP—namely, building a reliable base of all contracting authorities with CGMPs established in compliance with the regulations in force throughout the national territory—the objective of this mission was to support this contracting authority in structuring/restructuring its public procurement management unit in accordance with Decree No. 2022-1854 of 12 October 2022 amending and supplementing certain provisions of Decree No. 2009-162 of 20 May 2009 on the organization and functioning of the Public Procurement Management Unit.

Under the combined provisions of new Articles 4, 9.3 and new Article 10 of the above-mentioned decree, this involved appointing the Public Procurement Officer (PRMP), the Procurement Award Commission (CPM) and the Permanent Secretariat (SP) within its Public Procurement Management Unit.

It should be recalled that this working session pursued a dual objective. The first was to carry out a review of the CGMP’s compliance, in particular by verifying its effective existence within the contracting authority and ensuring its current configuration with regard to the above-mentioned regulations.

The second concerned identifying the needs or difficulties of the existing and/or newly established CGMP, in order to make it operational through capacity building for its members—an action that is a sine qua non conditioned by the latter’s compliance with the regulations.

Through this campaign, ARMP indeed seeks to ensure the compliance of CGMPs with the regulations and that their members have the tools and knowledge necessary to carry out their missions, which will a fortiori reduce the non-compliance rate and significantly improve the quality of their documents relating to public procurement management.

The visit to the Pool Department is one stage, because, according to ARMP’s programme for this year and coming years, this campaign will extend to all the various contracting authorities throughout the national territory.

This approach reflects the willingness of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority to have efficient organizations, appropriate skills, controlled procedures and professionals capable of conducting procurement award and monitoring operations in compliance with the principles of transparency, equal treatment, efficiency and good management of public funds.

Arnault NGATSE-ANGA

Head of the Communication Office