The head of the Tenders Board Bahrain Minister Bassem Al Hamer said that the step was a part of maintaining the highest standards of transparency and efficiency in public tenders and Government procurement.
Under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of Supreme committee of Information and Communication Technology, the Tender Board has launched of the first phase of the e-Tendering System in coordination with the e-Government Authority (e-GA) whereas the next few months will encounter the launch of the second phase.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by their Excellencies Minsters and Undersecretaries of the kingdoms government, Tender Board and eGA management executives, along with working teams from concerned ministries, companies and purchasing authorities and institutions, who will take part in the pilot phases of the e-Tendering service.
During the pilot phase, the e-Tendering System will enable purchasing governmental entities to prepare the applications documents, submit the tender documents and allow suppliers and contractors from the private sector to purchase the tender documents through the system. The remaining procedures will subsequently be completed as usual.
Efforts will continue to implement the second phase which covers the full cycle of the e-Tendering process – starting from submitting applications of offers, announcing tender invitations o for review of the willing bidders to accepting and depositing offers submitted by bidders with confidentiality and protection. This is later followed by opening tenders in thorough transparency and clear evaluation of the offers, and finally announcing the awarded company.
The ceremony also included the launch of the Tender Board portal www.tenderboard.gov.bh that contain various information on the rules, regulations and tender related data. The portal also provides features of live broadcast for the opening tenders during the weekly meetings held every Thursday and includes additional features such as interacting with smart-phones and developing advanced search features. The e-Content was revised to meet the standards of the public institutions’ websites set by the United Nations.
“The Board is keen on implementing the eTendering system which will improve the government performance and facilitate procedures related to the government tenders and purchases. The eTendering process involves all government tenders transactions and purchases as governed by the Tender Law. The system will be under the supervision of the Tender Board and we will seek to engage the private sector in a more efficient way,” the Minister of Housing and Chairman of the Tender Board Basem Al Hamer said.
The minister pointed that the system has proved to be feasible in reducing the administrative cost and the time drained to finalize the procedures. Additionally, it increases the level of quality and transparency in the decision-making process, as well as decreases the number of complaints. This range of services will be fully accessible in the second phase through the e-Tendering System which comprises tender notices, submission of the tenders, follow-ups, along with the evaluation of the awarding process through the website www.tenderboard.gov.bh
“This system encourages more participation and applies the principle of fairness through conducting the online tendering process. It also helps to automate the work-flow through the process of pre-qualification, opening, evaluation and awarding,” Al Hamer, added.
He further pointed out that over 85 ministries and entities are subject to the provision of the law regulating government tenders and purchases, and that around 2,000 tenders are annually processed.
The minister also declared that the board has already started utilizing the iPad applications and reducing paper-works, which resulted in saving efforts and costs, in addition to enhancing the board’s work due to utilizing technology and creating a shift in the weekly meetings, which provided the ability to store and retrieve the tender as well as bid documents easily.
“This initiative is a specific move towards a comprehensive strategy through which the board seeks to establish an integrated tendering system that is capable of finalizing the cycle of the tendering procedures, starting from setting the specifications, pursuing the evaluation, completing other relevant procedures up to the awarding stage and settling related financial transactions,” Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, the e-Government Authority CEO, said.
Al Qaed also pointed out that the implementation of an online tendering system for government tenders in the Kingdom will definitely promote the position of the Kingdom as a hub for eCommerce, particularly the annual value of the government tender which is estimated with millions of dinars.
The e-Tendering System reduces costs, saves time wasted in the process and increases efficiency in monitoring the applications. It also enhances the quality of services offered to the purchasing government entities, suppliers and contractors. The system casts transparency in the process of government tenders and purchases and represents a communication point that links all ministries and entities in the Kingdom with business community. Furthermore, it allows smooth processing of government tenders in a transparent and efficient manner.
“The system has various features, such as the speed, efficiency, and transparency as it helps the Bahraini companies and private institutions to receive all the tender advertisements instead of searching for them. In addition, it helps them to apply for a government tender, which will also save a lot of time, efforts, and required logistics; this will eventually increase the growth of Bahrain businesses and create new opportunities for Bahrainis.”
Users of the system can communicate through the eGovernment Authority portal, express their views and opinions and receive appropriate feedback that will be accessible for all users.
It is worth to mention that the Tender Board has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tamkeen to organize a training programme for suppliers and contractors in the private sector in order to help them use the e-Tendering System to perform all types of transactions related to government tenders and purchases.