The government member announces multiple sanctions against actors in the public procurement system who are found guilty of disclosing confidential documents. Actions may go as far as permanent exclusion from the system.
Actors involved in the public procurement system are warned about sanctions they may face in case of disclosure of confidential information, data, or documents. This practice reflects dysfunctions in the procurement system, sometimes leading to the cancellation of procedures. It is growing within the system, where confidential documents, data, and information end up in the hands of certain actors who should not have them before they are made public.
Informed of the situation through the press or by request, the Minister Delegate to the Presidency in charge of Public Procurement, Ibrahim Talba Malla, is strengthening confidentiality measures. The minister reminds all actors involved in the public procurement process and the management of related documentation and data that they have a professional confidentiality obligation. They must therefore refrain from any action aimed at disclosing confidential information, files, and documents they handle. Under penalty of exclusion from the public procurement system.
Similarly, any bidder who produces a document or information they should not have in their possession and obtained it fraudulently through corruption will be excluded from the concerned process. They will also be banned from bidding on public contracts for a maximum period of two years. Immediate suspension applies to a bidder in case of filing a request with any entity to contest contract award proposals or evaluations before the publication of results. According to the minister, such a request constitutes evidence of fraudulent possession of information, documents, or data by the person revealing them.
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Furthermore, some unscrupulous actors face a ban on any participation in public procurement activities for a period of up to two years, or a permanent ban. This concerns actors in procedures who are guilty of communicating confidential information about offers under review or contract award proposals.
By strengthening these measures, the government aims to safeguard objectivity in the public procurement process in Cameroon and preserve the credibility of the public procurement system, often accused of corruption. However, these measures, followed by an effective monitoring and control system, can produce positive results. Otherwise, the same actors may find new channels to continue disclosing confidential data. All in all, from now on, each actor must carefully handle the system’s confidential data, information, and files.
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