(Business in Cameroon) - Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA) is currently gearing up for the digitalization of its tender procedures. In that regard, the public institution recently organized a training workshop on the use of the "Cameroon Online E-procurement System" (Coleps).

During the workshop, participants were trained on proposals’ reception, evaluation of offers, publication of results, appeals management, and statistics production.

According to the aviation authority, the use of Coleps in the agency’s tender procedures will save time in the collection and processing of offers, facilitate and quicken the transmission of various information while considerably reducing margins of error.

It adds that the use of Coleps will improve security and transparency in the management of large chunks of data, reduce payment delays and processing costs since it is more paperless.

Coleps is a digital platform developed to digitalize all public tenders in Cameroon. Managed by the Ministry of Public Works, the first phase of the project will be completed by 2023. It aims to significantly reduce corruption in the public procurement market. Indeed, in a report published in late 2018, the National Anti-corruption Commission (CONAC) estimated that the Ministry of Public Works was the most corrupt administration in the country. Hence the digitalization of the procedures because most of the corrupt practices are facilitated by physical contacts between the involved actors. Nevertheless, the aim to reduce corruption will be achieved only if most of the public tender procedures are passed through the digital platform.

S.A.