A bill expanding the role of the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (LLOC) in reviewing government contracts is heading for a critical vote on Sunday.
It comes after the Shura Council’s legislative and legal affairs committee reaffirmed its recommendation to reject the proposal for a second time.
The bill – which seeks to amend Article 2 of Law 60 of 2006 – would require all ministries and public bodies to submit contracts exceeding BD100,000 to the LLOC for legal review. Under current law, only contracts valued above BD300,000 require such scrutiny.
Parliament has twice approved the amendment, while Shura has previously rejected it.
With the upper chamber now poised to vote again, the outcome could trigger a joint session of both houses, as mandated by the Constitution when the two chambers remain at loggerheads.
Legislative and legal affairs committee chairwoman Dalal Al Zayed said the panel found no compelling justification to reverse its earlier stance.
“We carefully re-examined Parliament’s decision but found that the fundamental legal and procedural concerns raised by the Shura Council remain unaddressed,” she said.
“For that reason, the committee stands by its original recommendation to reject the bill from the outset.”
In its detailed report, the committee argued that the objectives of the amendment – namely strengthening oversight of public spending and protecting state funds – are already met under existing laws and institutions.
These include the unified financial guide issued by the Finance Ministry, internal legal departments in government bodies, the Tender Board’s supervisory role over procurement and bid evaluations, and the financial and administrative audits conducted by the National Audit Office.
“The kingdom already has a robust multi-layered oversight system for public contracts,” Ms Al Zayed said.
“Introducing additional mandatory reviews at lower thresholds risks redundancy without delivering added value.”
The Shura committee reiterated concerns that lowering the threshold to BD100,000 would significantly increase the number of contracts requiring review, overwhelming the LLOC and delaying major development projects.
“Our fear is that economically significant contracts may face avoidable bottlenecks, hindering government efficiency,” Ms Al Zayed warned.
The committee added that the current threshold – raised in 2010 – was designed to reflect rising contract values and to ensure smoother government operations.
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