This is one of the important innovations contained in the new public procurement code presented this Thursday in Abidjan. The provisional share reserved for SMEs is now increased from 20 to 30%. A measure taken by the government to help them sustain growth and reduce poverty.
“This new code also plans to grant a 15% preferential margin to large companies that agree to subcontract 30% of their market share to SMEs. In the old texts, this margin was 5%”, advances Youl Sansan François, Director of Public Markets.
In total, 29 new measures have been introduced to strengthen the transparency and efficiency of procedures and flexibility in the awarding of public contracts.
“These innovations concern both the awarding and control of public contracts and regulation. They relate to the introduction of new types of public procurement, electronic procurement, sustainable public procurement and CSR” adds Coulibaly Yacouba, President of the National Authority for the Regulation of Public Procurement.
"This reform should contribute to the consolidation of public finances, in particular by strengthening budgetary discipline and better allocation of resources, while respecting the principles of free competition", continues Yaya Keho, Minister's Representative to the Prime Minister in charge of Budget and State Portfolio.
Côte d'Ivoire has undertaken various reforms of its public procurement system. The most recent, in 2009, established the principle of the separation of the functions of control and regulation of public contracts.
In 2015, this code was revised to improve award times, increase the rate of consumption of budgetary appropriations and promote access by SMEs to public procurement.