US embassy cable - 05MANAMA144

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000144 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI BERNS 
COMMERCE FOR ITA/MAC/ONE LOUSTAUNAU AND HOFFMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2015 
TAGS: ECON, PREL, PGOV, BA 
SUBJECT: CABINET AFFAIRS MINISTER ON DEMOCRATIC GROWING 
PAINS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C)  On January 31, 2005 the Ambassador paid a call on 
Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Abdulhussain Mirza, who 
was Minister of State responsible for the Tendering Board in 
the previous cabinet.  Mirza expressed concern over Bahrain's 
legislative system.  He indicated the GOB must find a balance 
between free democratic processes and control over religious 
zealots who propose laws counter to executive goals.  He 
stated the GOB needs to have a good system of checks and 
balances in place, and the executive branch must find a way 
to convey its concerns to the parliament. 
 
2.  (C) Mirza noted he will remain head of the government 
tendering board.  In response to the Ambassador's inquiry 
about Bahrain's two-envelope procurement system, Mirza stated 
that legally the GOB does not have to analyze the technical 
and financial portions separately.  He said that in general 
they will, but there will be times when it makes more sense 
to consider the technical and financial merits jointly.  As 
an example, he cited a major project with lengthy tendering 
documents that would take an enormous amount of time to 
review.  In such a case, eliminating bids that are clearly 
unrealistic would be the efficient way to proceed.  (NOTE:  A 
U.S. company recently complained that the GOB was not 
respecting the two-envelope tendering process.  END NOTE). 
MONROE