October 15 marks the end of visas for 2015 public markets

The Finance Minister has reminded credit managers of the deadline for the execution of budget for the current exercises.

The calendar was made known since the beginning of the year. But as tradition, and to prevent anyone from overlooking, the Minister of Finance (Minfi) went ahead to recall the deadline for the execution of the current budget.

For 2015, Alamine Ousmane Mey made public a circular letter on Tuesday. The document contained several dates to take note of.

October 15, more credit reservation

Financial controllers were challenged at this level. Minfi requested them to refrain from giving their visas to markets projects on the public investment budget, which could go beyond October 15, 2015, with the exception that it is done with regard to multi-year contracts. It must be understood here that every procurement has a turnaround. For this market to be realised and approved, there is a succession of tasks to be respected.

“The market begins with a tender folder. As soon as the provider is selected for execution, the financial controller shall affix a visa on this market. i.e., it ensures that funds are available and blocked for an execution of that market. This step must be completed before October 15,” noted Bruno Ndongo Zinga, CEO of the markets of infrastructure at the Ministry of Public Procurement (Minmap).

He also specified that “all procurements after this date are at risk they will not be paid by November 30 which will mark the end of payment commitments.” It was specifically stated in the circular letter of the Minfi that discontinuation of commitments on the State budget for the year 2015 is set at November 30, 2015.

To understand this, he should know that as soon as the financial controller shall affix his visa on a market, this does not only means that it blocks the credit to pay the claimant, but reassures him also of what benefit can be paid as the market runs. This is what we call counts.

"In case of defective counts, the claimant will finance the market himself and we sign a payment commitment for him. Minfi recalled that operations of commitments must be stopped on November 30,” noted our source. December 31 will, however, be the complete cessation.

The market calendar is fixed precisely to allow operations to be executed within the year, i.e. until December 31 at the latest. This is why Minfi insists at this time that they should already be prepared to cease operations, to ensure that the projects are actually realised.

The Minmap figures show 97% rate of implementation of projects starting in the regions. Minepat spoke of more than 60% rate of physical implementation of PIB throughout the country. These figures are deemed to be satisfactory.