The inspection services of the territorial administration are investigating suspicions of manipulation of secret information relating to public contracts involving officials of local authorities. The latter allegedly favored certain companies by transmitting confidential data to them.
The services of the general inspection of territorial administration are carrying out new investigations into the involvement of local authority officials in manipulations relating to secret information relating to public contracts. The latter are suspected of having transmitted confidential data relating to calls for tenders and purchase orders to certain companies, which allows them to obtain these contracts by complying with the conditions set out in the pre-established specifications. The precise information contained in the complaints filed with the National Public Procurement Commission alerted the Interior inspectors, who asked the complaining companies for more detailed information on the circumstances of their exclusion from competition for contracts.
Hespress sources revealed that officials from local authorities in the Casablanca-Settat and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra regions intervened in the process of preparing purchase orders, which related to maintenance, construction and construction services. works, as well as the organization of events and demonstrations, and the supply of equipment and materials, won by entrepreneurs from Oujda, Nador and Tangier. The same sources indicated that the control of the financial feasibility of certain contracts aroused the suspicions of Interior inspectors, given the low value of the contract, which does not cover the operating costs of the winning entrepreneur, in particularly due to the great distance between the head office of this contractor, the site where the work is taking place or the place of delivery of the service.
In addition, the inspection services received information on suspicious relationships between municipal leaders and business leaders who won tailor-made contracts and in areas of activity other than their own, in exchange for commissions and privileges, add Hespress sources. And to continue that the information collected shows pressure exerted on entrepreneurs by the elected officials mentioned so that they submit joint offers with companies belonging to parents or, in order to obtain the contracts, which, although managed digitally via the national public procurement portal, remain under the aegis of the communities given that it is up to them to formulate calls for tenders and specifications (CPS).
In their investigations, the inspectors noted that very small and small companies are exposed to strong competition for small purchase orders, contrary to the provisions of Decree No. 2.22.431 on public procurement which stipulates that 30% of the total contracts to be awarded by the State and its institutions for each financial year must be awarded to small and medium-sized national enterprises, including innovative companies and start-ups, cooperatives, consortia of cooperatives and self-entrepreneurs. Remember that the financial ceiling for purchase orders has been raised to 500,000 dirhams currently, whereas it was limited to 200,000 dirhams previously.
And to report that controllers are currently looking into pending public contracts, which have been awarded to entrepreneurs who do not have the financial capacity necessary to fulfill their obligations. As a result, local authorities have been forced to bear the costs of completing vital projects, placing additional expenses on their budgets in addition to the burdens caused by legal disputes initiated with these companies.
It should be noted that the ongoing discussions on the 2025 finance bill in the House of Representatives are currently pushing towards a review of the legislative framework governing public procurement, in particular purchase orders. It has in fact been established that SMEs do not benefit from these markets, because large suppliers and service providers resort to the creation of subsidiaries to obtain these markets, taking advantage of their commercial status on the market as well as their financial and logistical capacities.