CABINET WATCH- Cabinet greenlights PPP law amendments: Cabinet approved on Thursday legislative amendments to streamline public-private partnership (PPP) contracts, according to a statement. The proposed amendments, which the Finance Ministry began drafting earlier this month and which now go to the Council of State for review, are designed to make it easier to implement infrastructure, public services and utility projects under the PPP framework, Minister Mohamed Maait said. The bill would speed-up tenders, allow bidders to submit unsolicited proposals and make single-supplier contracts possible. The amendments will also allow the private sector to propose projects and give the government a larger scope for subcontracting.

Also approved at cabinet’s weekly meeting:

• Allowing, in principle, the Egyptian Kuwait Real Estate Development Company to develop a residential project on land it owns on Suez road;
• Amending the executive regulations of the Universities Act to add Computer Science and Applied Arts faculties to the Tanta University campus;
• Issuing tenders under a usufruct agreement to renovate up to 567 youth centers (state-sponsored sporting clubs).