By Satish Kanady
DOHA: Qatar is contemplating tough actions against price fixing, bid rigging and other forms of possible collusions in public tenders. Qatar’s soon-to-be- issued procurement law stipulates to prosecute the officials who act against the country’s competition protection and collusion combat policy in public procurement.
The bidders found involved in rigging the bid or making attempts to influence the concerned officials, including through bribing, will be sternly dealt with, a top official at the Ministry of Finance has said.
“The new procurement law is getting ready. It will be issued soon,” Abdulaziz Zeid Rashid Al-Taleb (pictured), Director of Government Procurement Regulations, Ministry of Finance, told The Peninsula on the sidelines of the opening day of ‘International workshop on competition protection and collusion combat in public procurement’, hosted by the Ministry of economy and Commerce.
Earlier, participating in a panel discussion Abdulaziz said the new law will introduce a rating system for the companies and contractors. The companies or contractors who are found involved in bid-rigging will be ranked ‘low’ and the chances of considering them for future contracts will diminish. “The new law is not considering to ‘blacklist’ the companies or contractors who are involved in wrongdoings.
“It is not fair to punish a whole company just because of the fraudulent activities of a single employee... Again, the sudden blacklisting of companies will create supply chain problems,” he said.
There are companies which have been ‘restricted’ after they were found involved in bid rigging. The new law will have a ‘performance ratings’ system, rather than blacklisting erring companies. But they will be restricted and ranked “low”. They will not be actively considered for future projects. The chances of getting new deals for these ‘low ranking’ entities will be less . The companies with very low ratings will not be able to win contracts, he said.
Qatar’s new procurement law will incorporate the best practices prevailing across the world. The law will take care of the interests of of all the stake holders, he said.
The new law stipulates all bids should be in closed envelopes and make sure that officials of the concerned department will have no interests in the project. The proposed law will protect the right of the aggrieved bidder to go for appeal.
The role of the procurement regulatory administrator is to enhance the competitiveness among bidders and to ensure equal opportunities for all.
He said the new law will not entertain negotiations after opening of the bids, except in really genuine cases. The decision of the tendering committee will be final. But, those who lost the bid will have the right to go for an appeal before the court.
The Peninsula
