Contract compulsory review dispute heads to National Assembly after Shura Council vote

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Councils reached a stalemate yesterday, as the Shura Council once again rejected in principle a draft law that would lower the compulsory review ceiling for government contracts by the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission.

The decision sends the measure to the National Assembly for further consideration.

Members discussed the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee’s report on Parliament’s decision to insist on the bill before voting to uphold the upper chamber’s earlier refusal.

Proposal

The draft law, prepared on the basis of a proposal from Parliament, would amend item (9) of Article 2 of Law No. 60 of 2006 on the reorganisation of the Commission.

It would require mandatory review of contracts exceeding BD100,000 concluded by ministries, institutions and public bodies.

The existing compulsory threshold is BD300,000, though entities can still ask the Commission to review lower-value contracts.

Aim

Committee rapporteur Jawad Abdullah Hussein said the bill’s aim is already met through existing checks on government contracting.

He warned that lowering the ceiling would add to the number of contracts sent to the Commission, which could reduce the attention given to higher-value agreements and delay work linked to them.

The committee also argued that the proposal cuts against the purpose of Decree-Law No. 34 of 2010, which raised the compulsory threshold from BD100,000 to BD300,000 to reflect higher prices for goods, services and construction and the growing volume of state purchasing, while helping procurement procedures move more smoothly.

Objection

Member Dalal Al Zayed said her objection rested on the legislator’s earlier choice to raise the ceiling, adding that a lower threshold could slow contracts tied to essential services that support citizens and state operations.

She said the committee reviewed breaches linked to contracts above BD100,000 and found no major violations, while noting that ministries already carry out effective internal checks.

Al Zayed also reminded members that any institution can seek the Commission’s review of a contract even if its value is below BD300,000.