Technical assistance and seed funding for the project will come from the Development Gateway's e-Government Grants Program, a partnership with the Government of Italy. The World Bank will provide additional co-funding. The project includes a new procurement management system and a national public tender website to increase access to government contract information.
The e-Government Grants Program provides a mechanism for the funding and rapid implementation of e-government initiatives in developing countries. It is a key component in the Development Gateway's overall efforts to build capacity and increase efficiency in the public sector, with a special focus on procurement and the management of international aid.
The Honorable Lucio Stanca, Italy's Minister for Innovation and Technologies, said, "This is further proof of the Government of Italy's commitment to fostering friendship and mutual understanding among Mediterranean countries, and to helping our partners build governance systems. ICTs are a key factor in increasing transparency, accountability and efficiency in administrative operations - and are an enabling tool to promote good public governance."
According to Mark Fleeton, Chief Executive Officer of the Development Gateway Foundation, "Studies show that publishing tenders online can save governments millions of dollars. This project will help Morocco achieve savings in this way, and more, by also improving their processes and systems to handle contract bidding and awards."
Quelle: AllAfrica, 01.03.2006