Published: 05 April 2016 г.
Bishkek – On 5 April 2016 at 9:30 “Urmat Ordo” Hotel, Public Foundation “Support to Economic Development and Education” will host a round table discussion on the results of the civic monitoring of the Official Government Procurement Portal of the Kyrgyz Republic – zakupki.gov.kg – under the Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic.
This round table discussion has invited representatives of the Jogorku Kenesh KR, the Government of the KR, civil society, and members of the media. Public Foundation “Support to Economic Development and Education”, in partnership with representatives of the Public Councils of various state agencies, conducted the first monitoring of the Government Procurement Portal as part of the project titled “Promoting Public Oversight and Transparency in the Government Procurement System”. This project is being supported by USAID and DFID.
A methodology for monitoring the Government Electronic Procurement System was developed by the Public Foundation and provided two trainings to representatives of the Public Councils of various state agencies and business associations to monitor the Government Procurement Portal. Monitoring was conducted in nine procuring organizations: the Ministries of Labor and Social Development of the KR, Transportation and Communication, Economy, the State Environmental and Technical Inspectorate, the State Agency for Antimonopoly Policy, and other state agencies of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The findings of the monitoring and evaluation effort indicated areas for concern such as limited transparency provisions within the electronic bidding system and only 40% procurement efficiency. As of today, not all processes have been automated and in many cases the procuring organizations do not follow requirements of the respective legislation. This appears to be due, in part, to the limited control by both the Government of the KR and the authorized agency. Communications between suppliers and procuring organizations are not carried out entirely in electronical form which would help decrease corruption in the government procurement system. There are cases of violations of relevant legislation such as the limited distribution of documentation, demonstration of favoritism, and entry into unlawful collusions. There are also other risks of corruption observed in the state procurement system such as an acute shortage of certified specialists in state agencies which has negative implications as it pertains to the development of solicitation documentation, the assessment of needs, as well as their valuation categories.
Public Foundation “Support to Economic Development and Education” and representatives of the Public Councils of the state agencies intend to continue their work on monitoring the Official Government Procurement Portal of the Kyrgyz Republic in an effort to enhance the efficiency of state funds’ spending and improving the openness and transparency of the government procurement system through a streamlined electronic procurement system.
This project is supported by
the Collaborative Governance Program (CGP), promoting effective collaboration among civil society, the private sector, and the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. The Program is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and UK Department for International Development (DFID), and implemented by East-West Management Institute (EWMI)