Gabon/The Gabon Public Procurement Regulatory Agency Training SETRAG Agents on Public Procurement Procedures

The Gabon Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (ARMP) organized a workshop on public procurement awarding procedures for the personnel of the Gabonese transport enterprise called SETRAG as there is a need to train them to get acquainted with the administrative and legal aspects of public procurement and penalties related to the inobservance of the mechanisms set in the vein as well. SETRAG is that operating enterprise, a subsidiary company of Comilog which has built the railways bringing together Franceville in the East of Gabon and Owendo in the West of the country. It is essentially in charge of the transportation of goods and travelers.

« We needed first of all to let the agents master perfectly the notion of government contracts, which are embedded in the generic terms of public procurement but different from other types of orders such as public-private partnerships and delegations of public services”, said Mr. Bastide NGONGA, the Permanent Secretary of the Gabon ARMP.

The participants got for their time and curiosity as the two-day training was so fruitful and shed light on government contracts ruled by three principles namely candidate processing eligibility, free access to public procurement and transparency at the procurement procedure levels. As a bonus, another principle was touched and it was the one of economy and effectiveness in public procurement. Participants knew more about the expression of needs through tender dossiers before tackling the planning of public procurement for SETRAG will soon conceive a tender plan.