China has so far donated around 1.8 million Sinopharm vaccines to Nepal, and the latter is now looking for a commercial agreement to seek more vaccines. However, the Chinese vaccine manufacturer, Sinopharm, has a put a condition of signing a non-disclosure agreement for commercial supply of vaccines. 

A report in the Kathmandu Post, citing a senior Nepali official, has stated the existing laws do not permit the government to keep the details of such procurements confidential. 

Nepal’s Public Procurement Act 2007 and the recently introduced Covid-19 Crisis Management Ordinance are silent on a non-disclosure agreement, the report says. Both allow the government to procure directly from suppliers or manufacturers without competitive bidding under extraordinary situations. 

Only procurements related to defense are permitted to keep details confidential.

“The objective of our procurement law is to ensure transparency and fairness,” the official was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post. “If any citizen seeks the procurement details by invoking the Right to Information Act, the government has to provide such details” he added. 

Earlier this week, Nepal President Bidya Devi held a telephonic conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping and conveyed that Nepal wanted to sign a deal for vaccines. 

(SAM)