Public procurements: A major turning point…
The decree on public procurements was the flagship project with which the Government Council ended its work for 2022. This is a real reform of the regulatory framework for the award of public contracts which takes place in a national and international context, marked by profound changes and structural transformations. The reform is part of the strengthening of public procurement governance and the consecration of the management logic, based on results and performance, in accordance with the recommendations of the new development model. The new system adopted concerns public procurements which play a driving role in economic development and the creation of wealth, says the presentation note of the draft decree relating to public procurements. The overhaul of the regulations is part of the measures taken by the government for the establishment of a participatory development model, through the involvement of all the actors concerned. The idea is to ensure post-Covid economic recovery, with a view to elevating Morocco to the rank of emerging economies and strengthening its position both at the continental and international level. The overhaul of the regulations also aims to make public procurements a powerful lever for economic development, job promotion, creation of added value, and improvement of the governance of public management and the business climate. Indeed, public markets play an important and vital role in the dynamics of the national economy, in particular given the continuous growth in the volume of investments by the central Governments, local authorities, and state-owned enterprises, or public agencies. Today, public procurements obey the same rules. It is in this sense that Fouzi Lekjaâ, sponsor of this project, stressed that the decree makes it possible to broaden and unify the framework which governs the markets to harmonize the mode of granting of the orders of the national government in the various sectors and throughout the whole territory. For 2023, the Appropriations Bill has listed 300 billion Dirhams (30 billion USD) as public investments, not to mention the 45 billion Dirhams (4.5 billion USD) under the Mohammed VI Fund for Investment.
Mohamed CHAOUI
