The national public procurement witnesses a low level of transparency and competitiveness. The public procurement area favors fraud and abuse. At the same time, the possible losses in public procurement affect the development of infrastructure and public services and simultaneously lead to the deterioration of the business climate and the quality of life. These are the main findings of the report on public procurement in Moldova that was presented by experts of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul” on June 17, IPN reports.
Expert Diana Enachi said the new law on public procurement envisions broader access to information about procurement contracts and a more active role of civil society in monitoring public procurement. It stipulates a new approach to contracts, based on the quality-price ratio. This will enable to purchase goods, services and works of a higher quality and will increase the efficiency of public costs.
According to the expert, the normative framework for implementing the provisions of the new law should be fully worked out. Only several regulations resulting from the provisions of the new law were drafted, even if enough time passed since the adoption of the law. A solution should be immediately identified to train the members of working groups that organize public tender contests. There should be compiled guides with the actions of all the participants in government procurement.
“Viitorul” programs director Viorel Chivriga said the Institute, together with the NGOs Promo-LEX and CALM (Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova), will continue to monitor the implementation of the new provisions and will collect the opinions of participants in public procurement, including at local level.
To solve the problems faced in government procurement, the report authors recommend orienting to sustainable public procurement, limiting the modification of contracts after their signing, increasing the capacities of persons involved in the government procurement system, improving the inspection functions, introducing a broader definition for the conflict of interest, broadly using electronic tender contests and working out a national strategy on public procurement.
