Non-Compliance to Regulations: Over 80 Public Contracts Cancelled

 By Doh Bertrand Nua in Yaounde

Minister Talba Malla

The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in Charge of Public Contracts has terminated close to 80 contracts awarded between 2018 and 2019 over what he terms the non-compliance with regulation.
    The decision was taken by Ibrahim Talba Malla early this week. He said the decision is in compliance with articles 182 and 184 of Presidential decree N°2018/366 of June 20, 2018 on public contracts code.
    The terminated contracts includes those for the construction of health centres, schools, electrification, water points, and administrative buildings among others. Out of the close to 80 contracts terminated, fifty-three were expected to be executed in the West region.
    Most of the cancelled works whose executions are said to have started in 2017 were either between 0% and 50% execution. Provisions of the code on public contracts indicates that the said contractors shall not except on special dispensation granted exclusively by the Minister bid for contracts for period of two years from the date of notification of termination.
    Several actions have been taken in these same direction yet cases of abandoned contractors and those wrongly awarded are abound. Just last year, Minister Talba Malla terminated contracts signed with 334 enterprises nationwide.
    Articles 182 and 184 on the public contracts code as cited by the minister states that a contract could be terminated in case of the death of the contractor, bankruptcy, judicial liquidation, outsourcing, co-sourcing or sub-order without prior authorization of the Owner or the Owner Master Delegate.