As several contracts linked to the management of foreign trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo approach expiry, Intertek and Bureau Veritas are intensifying lobbying efforts with Congolese authorities.

On May 6, 2026, a delegation from British group Intertek, led by Jeremy Gaspard, the company’s vice president for government and commercial services, was received in Kinshasa by Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya. According to the ministry, the company proposed a public-private partnership with the Congolese state, through the Office congolais de contrôle (OCC), covering product inspection, testing and certification for imports and exports.

The move comes in a sector long dominated by Bureau Veritas BIVAC. For several years, the French group has operated two major programs in the DRC: the import conformity verification program (VOC), on behalf of the OCC, and the foreign trade single-window system (SEGUCE).

Those contracts, whose financial value has not been disclosed publicly, are due to expire this year. The first, awarded in 2006 to the BIVAC subsidiary, expires in November, while the second, signed in 2013 with the BIVAC/Soget consortium, runs out in October. After a renewal and a two-year extension respectively, the government is reportedly considering putting the next concessions out to competitive tender.

According to local media reports, at the last steering committee meeting on the OCC-BIVAC contract in January, Etienne Tshimanga, then director general of the OCC, said “an international tender will be launched in accordance with procurement rules.”

Two months later, Stephane Gaudechon, Bureau Veritas vice president for government contracts, met Prime Minister Judith Suminwa in Abu Dhabi. According to the Prime Minister’s office, discussions focused mainly on the two contracts. “There is a genuine desire to strengthen a 20-year partnership with Bureau Veritas,” Gaudechon said after the meeting.

Persistent criticism

That optimism comes despite persistent criticism from senior Congolese officials over the implementation of the contracts. In 2023, President Felix Tshisekedi asked the Inspection generale des finances (IGF) to assess the execution of the OCC-BIVAC contract, citing shortcomings in the partnership’s implementation.

At the time, some official sources said less than 35% of the contract had been implemented several years after its renewal. Congolese officials also raised concerns over costs considered excessive for the OCC, as well as delays in the delivery of certain equipment and infrastructure.

The foreign trade single-window system has also faced repeated criticism from business operators. Despite progress in digitization, several private sector players continue to point to administrative delays, overlapping procedures and difficulties integrating the various government agencies involved in foreign trade operations.

In November 2025, authorities said 67 out of 77 foreign trade documents had been digitized. In April, Gaudechon told Suminwa that the single-window project was nearing completion.

Those shortcomings have opened the door to new contenders. Already active in the DRC through the Eco-Levy program, which covers environmental certificates for certain imported goods, Intertek now appears to be seeking a broader role in trade inspection and certification activities.

No official tender has yet been launched. But the recent approaches made to Congolese authorities highlight growing competition over infrastructure considered strategic for managing Congo’s trade flows, customs revenues and trade data.

Pierre Mukoko & Ronsard Luabeya