IDIS ”Viitorul” (Future) presents procurement monitoring report with more problems

Chisinau, 2 September /MOLDPRES/ - National public procurement system in Moldova is facing a number of issues related to both the low degree of transparency and competitive procurement market, as well as a low level of compliance of the legal and institutional framework. This conclusion reached the IDIS Viitorul experts, Diana Enachi and Viorel Chivriga: "Procurement Monitoring Report: weaknesses identified and policy recommendations".

"One of the biggest problems of the national procurement system is poor planning, ineffective and, especially, non-transparent procurement. Without this management tool undermines the quality of the procurement process, and priority public investment opportunity and the possibility of monitoring by the company in the way public funds are used, " said Diana Enachi.

At his turn, the program director, Viorel Chivriga claims that after changing public procurement legislation has improved the situation. The significant changes in legal and institutional concerns "increasing thresholds and deadlines for submitting and reviewing documents and contracts, creating the National Agency for Solving Complaints, expanding the duties and responsibilities of the working group on procurement, assigning a more active role for civil society in the procurement process. Also setting a new criterion for the award of public procurement contracts, limiting the increase of the procurement contract, granting wider access to information on public procurement procedure and results."

The Director of Congress of Local authorities of Moldova, Viorel Furdui, said that public procurement is a sensitive and local authorities face difficulties in selecting economic operators that offer the best value for money.

"IDIS's report was the basis for future legislative changes in public procurement and rules became clearer for operators participating in tenders", said Vadim Turcanu, Valdcongrup procurement specialist.

The study authors recommend changing procurement accents, which involve the use of public funds by generating value for money, focus on the process and not procedure, consistent and easy to apply legislation, to the detriment of over-regulation, also by setting up central unit acquisition, which means reduced purchasing costs by achieving "economies of staircase".

According to official data, the share of public procurement in GDP in 2014 was 10,3 per cent, or that is 11,5 billion lei.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor M. Jantovan)