MCA Steering Committee approves Compact procurement plan for six months

Tenders for the selection of contractors to rehabilitate irrigation systems and of construction supervision companies will be held in March 2013, and additional equipment will be purchased to create a network for the the real-time monitoring of water surface quantity and quality, under the Compact Program's procurement plan for the next six months, which was approved by the Millennium Challenge Account's (MCA) Steering Committee at its meeting on Tuesday. The Committee also approved an action plan for the prevention, detection and remediation of fraud and corruption in Compact operations. Further, it approved the first MCA Moldova's audit report, which found no violations in the implementation of the Compact Program. Chairing the meeting, Prime Minister Vlad Filat said: “To us it is critical that Compact is successful. Our reputation and credibility depends on the success of the Compact”. Speaking about the bidding procedures for selection of the company that will rehabilitate the irrigation systems to be announced this November, the Prime Minister said that efforts should be made to have more bidders. “The first call for bids for the selection of a contractor to rehabilitate the first irrigation systems is very important. We hope to have many bidders, as in the case of the road project, and save money. At the same time, we have to make sure we achieve the best value for money". The MCA Moldova Steering Committee, which is composed of Government, civil society and business representatives, coordinates the implementation of the US-funded Compact. The $262 million program aims at increasing the income of Moldovan people by providing investments in rehabilitation of roads and irrigation systems and transition to high value agriculture.