A three-member committee, set up for resolving the disputes related to bidding of government tenders, have urged the concerned parties to approach the panel for speedy grievance redressal.

The Administrative Committee on Dispute Resolution, set up as per the law of tenders and auctions ( No.24/2015), is aimed to ensure the tendering process of all government-related projects is smooth and transparent.

The committee is represented by nominees from Higher Courts, Ministry of Finance and Qatar Chamber.

Addressing a media conference yesterday, Hareb Rashid Hareb Al Muhannadi, Chairman of the Committee, said the panel will help resolve disputes between government agencies and the aggrieved companies and bidders.

The panel is being set up in line with the law of tenders and auctions that regulates any possible disputes and complaints that would arise during the tendering process. The committee's hearing is scheduled in such a manner that the aggrieved parties' complaints would be addressed without delay.

He said the establishment of the committee is aimed to ease the burden of courts and speed up the process for companies in terms of helping them get their rights with as little financial constraints as possible. The decisions taken by the committee on any disputes will be final. And those who want to challenge this decision will have to approach a competent court of law.

Abdul Aziz Zeid Rashid Al Talib, who represents the Ministry of Finance in the Committee, said an estimated 63,000 local companies have registered under the Ministry of Finance. According to cabinet decision ( no. 33 for 2017), the committee must issue a ruling on any dispute in no more than two months from the date of submitting an application. In order to guarantee this, the complainant must submit his/her application before the

Secretariat of the Committee, located at the Ministry of Finance. The petitioner is expected to challenge the decision by the tendering committee within 30 days.

Al Taleb said that in order to ensure the entire proceedings of the commitee is transparent, the hearing will be held in public. The disputing parties can represent themselves or through their nominees. The committee will resolve the dispute by looking into the merit of the case and the supporting documents.

The panel will also listen to the concerned government authorities and the legal procedures laid out in the country's tenders and auction law. He said the committee will look into the complaints regarding documents, help to improve the work of tenders and accept suggestions and recommendations from all concerned parties.

For his part, Ali Said Busherbak, a member of the committee, called on companies participating in government tenders not to hesitate to approach the committee if it deemed it justified to be eligible for a tender. The purpose of establishing the committee is to protect the rights of local companies and foreign companies as well.

He encouraged everyone to seek the committee out with any grievances they might have regarding tenders they applied for. He stressed that the goal of establishing the committee was to protect the interests and rights of local companies, as well as foreign investments.

Representative of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority Mohammed Ali Al Marri spoke of the cooperation between the Ministry of Finance and the committee to guarantee that the law on tenders is in line with the latest and best international standards.

The result of that cooperation, he added, was that the law included up to 29 articles in line with United Nations Convention against Corruption, which elevated Qatar to the highest rankings internationally in the field of combating corruption.

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