KSA’s Shura Council approved Wednesday the franchise and government procurement laws. The new franchise law, composed of 26 articles, aims to govern the relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee in light of transparency, according to the council. The procurement law, which has 97 articles, also regulates the procedures related to business and procurement, and to prevent abuse of power and personal interests, as to protect public funds and achieve the best value for public money. In Oct 2017, the Saudi Ministry of Finance published the first draft of a new law on procurement and invited public comment, Argaam reported. The draft proposed setting up a strategic procurement unit to coordinate purchases of commonly used goods across government bodies, and ensure contracts were filled at competitive prices.