AUDA-NEPAD approves renovation tender for Douala Polytechnic School’s CERIMA Center

The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) has granted a conditional No Objection for the renovation works at the Center of Reference in Industrial Maintenance Education (CERIMA) of the National Higher Polytechnic School of Douala (NHPSD). This follows a review of the draft tender documents submitted by the university for approval, in accordance with the Implementation Agreement No. AUDA-NEPAD/KfW2015 69 052/FW1/CAM/009.

In an official letter addressed to Professor Magloire Ondoa, Rector of the University of Douala, AUDA highlighted key recommendations to improve the tender process. First, the subject of the procurement should be consistent across all documents, ensuring the scope of work clearly reflects both renovation and refurbishment efforts.

The agency also advised the university to revise its invitation letter to bidders. It suggested that the qualifications for assignment execution should explicitly include experience, in addition to knowledge and skills. Further, bidders should be allowed to seek clarifications during the pre-bid meeting and through formal requests after the meeting.

Additional concerns included the bid’s language requirements, ensuring documents are available in both French and English, and specifying the correct exchange rate for bid evaluation. AUDA also recommended including a list of approved first-class financial institutions and revising minimum qualifications for key personnel roles to match job responsibilities.

Finally, AUDA emphasized the importance of including an unpriced Bill of Quantities as part of the tender document. Despite these observations, AUDA-NEPAD has officially granted its No Objection, allowing the university to move forward with the renovation project, pending the integration of these suggestions.

This marks a significant step forward in upgrading the CERIMA center, enhancing technical education in Cameroon.

Jean Bosco BELL