On October 4, 2024, the Council of Ministers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) approved a draft decree for the electronic management of public contracts. According to the Council’s minutes, the new decree will guide how public contracts are handled electronically. No further details were provided.

The new decree aligns with an emergency reform plan adopted a year ago, on November 2, by Congolese authorities. The plan, which aimed to improve the local business environment, included measures to simplify taxes, and better protect taxpayers from harassment. It also included publishing all court rulings, revitalizing the one-stop shop for starting businesses, and continuing reforms in public procurement. 

A year before the emergency plan was adopted, in November, the country launched the Integrated Public Procurement Management System (SIGMAP). The SIGMAP automates public procurement processes, reduces processing times, ensures traceability, and generates statistics. It features a web portal that provides the public with information about procurement procedures.

The platform, however, is underused. As of October 8, 2024, the last public procurement plans posted on this site were from fiscal year 2023. The government acknowledges that most public procurement processing is still done manually.

"This situation creates significant risks of corruption and does not ensure traceability, transparency, or complete information in managing public orders," the government stated. They added that "the draft decree aims to address these threats."

GAB