Other Procurement Study
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Publication
Procurement and Service Delivery : An Overview of Efforts to Improve Governance of Public Procurement at Local Levels in South Asia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-11-01)Over the past decade, the overly centralized governance structures commonly found across South Asia have begun to change, with program and fiscal responsibility being devolved to local level government authorities and community-based organizations. This has led to greater participation of ordinary citizens in governance and public decision-making. The move to localize decision-making creates enormous opportunities for increasing the effectiveness of public spending since it creates the potential for establishing direct accountability of governance mechanisms to citizens. It also raises a number of significant challenges in ensuring that public funds are spent effectively at the local level, and provokes important new questions regarding the manner by which governments can maintain oversight over the quality of assets. This paper provides an overview of the activities supported under the project, with the aim of contributing to a broader perspective on improving governance and service delivery at the local level. The paper is divided into three parts. In part one the authors explore the challenges of spending money effectively at the local level, with a special focus on the governance challenges that exist in public procurement. In part two, the authors explore different approaches to addressing those challenges by discussing innovative work that has taken place with the support of the Project in the areas of regulation, contracting, transparency, and accountability. In part three, the authors analyze some broader themes and key questions that remain to be addressed while developing a strategic research and operational agenda around local level procurement. -
Publication
Activating Social Audits in Orissa
(Washington, DC, 2009-11-01)With the passing of the National Rural Employment Act (NREGA) in 2005, the Government of India established a landmark provision that enables communities to act as watchdogs on local level implementation of the Government's flagship anti-poverty program. While the concept of 'social audits' builds on a great deal of experience in the country, the provisions in the Act have not been translated into clear guidelines. As a result, social audits of NREGA have tended to be driven through 'high impact' approaches led by civil society organizations and have been focused on exposing malpractice rather than improving implementation. This paper discusses an initiative by the centre for youth and social development which sought to explore options to activate the social audit process in Orissa. The design draws on the provisions of the Act with a view to developing a sustainable model for the state. The pilot was conducted in six gram panchayats where the various stages of preparation, committee formation, auditing and reporting were developed. The paper highlights the importance of social audits as an instrument to support implementation, and in particular of raising awareness and ensuring clarity regarding the roles of various stakeholders. Taking this process forward demands a long term perspective, based on collaboration between the government and civil society that can develop the capacities of beneficiaries to ensure effective implementation at the local level. -
Publication
Pakistan - Federal Procurement Baseline Indicator Systems Assessment
(World Bank, 2009-06-01)The Baseline Indicators (BLIs) assessment has been conducted by the Development Partners and the Government of Pakistan as a precursor to carrying forward the Government's efforts to upgrade the Country Procurement Systems (CPS) to international standards and to help it assess the level and type of technical assistance required for achieving this objective. The assessment, being the first phase of a comprehensive procurement performance assessment, covered the four pillars as well as all the indicators and sub-indicators in each pillar based on a review of the existing regulatory framework and the institutional and operational arrangements and as provided for in the Organization for Economic Development (OECD) Development Advisory Committee (DAC) guidelines. While the views expressed in the report were the subject of discussions at the stakeholders' workshop, they do not necessarily represent the views of the Government of Pakistan. The result indicates that compared to the standard required for a transparent, efficient and effective procurement system, the existing system in Pakistan needs to be improved substantially. The highest achieved rating is for pillar one, the legislative and regulatory framework, which is an amalgam of specific legislation and sub-legislation impacting the procurement activity of the government and the older legislative instruments affecting the overall operations of the public and/or the private sectors. The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) is the apex body of the institutional framework (pillar two) governing the public procurement arena. The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) was involved as a member of the Kazi committee to prepare a standard bidding document and standard General Conditions of Contract (GCC) for all engineering contracts. Improvements in improving the procurement market and operations (pillar three) can only happen when substantial progress has been achieved in reforming pillars one and two of the procurement framework. Integrity and efficiency in the public procurement system (pillar four) is the ultimate goal of all procurement systems and is not easily achieved. This, therefore, requires changes not only within the specific procurement related legislation, but also across a raft of other legislation to ensure an overall enabling environment. Coupled to this is the need to motivate decision makers and civil society to actively participate in ensuring the implementation of the revised legislation. This will require several years, but the effort could be started at an early stage of the reform process. -
Publication
West Bank and Gaza : Country Procurement Issues Paper
(Washington, DC, 2008-06)The main aim of the CPIP is to assess the current state of pubic procurement in West Bank and Gaza in the form of a ''snap shot'' and accordingly, to provide a partial assessment, broadly along the lines of the OPCS paper that would address the following objectives. First, to assess the latest progress with regard to the procurement reform recommended by the 2004 CPAR and the commitment of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to pursue the reform. Next, to report on the link between public sector procurement and the local private sector, in terms of competitiveness, performance, constraints, and commercial practices affecting public procurement. Finally, compile a set of recommendations that would strengthenprocurement arrangements and functions under future Bank-financed operations in the WB&G. These could also serve as basis to suggest specific improvements in current procurement processes, as well as next steps towards the achievement of a procurement system that meets internationally recognized standards. -
Publication
Nepal : Electronic Government Procurement Readiness Assessment and Roadmap
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2007-10)The assessment focused on the degree of readiness of Government of Nepal's (GoN's) current public procurement environment for making a transition from a traditional paper-based, manual procurement transaction processing and communication to electronic government procurement (e-GP). Some 20 public and private sector organizations, involved in a wide range of functions that relate to public procurement, provided comment on the degree of readiness of nine key components related to e-GP: leadership, human resource planning, procurement planning and management, procurement policy, legislation and regulation, Internet and electronic infrastructure, standards, private sector integration, and current e-GP systems and initiatives. The assessment found: adequate evidence that an e-Tendering system is in place but is little used; some evidence that procurement legislation and procurement planning is in place and being supported, and that some procurement training has been conducted; and limited evidence that leadership, human resource planning, procurement management, regulation, and Internet infrastructure services are in place and being supported. The Roadmap sets out the features for a comprehensive e-GP service including e-Tendering, e-Purchasing, e-Reverse Auctioning, and a Procurement Information and Management System. -
Publication
Maldives : Electronic Government Procurement Readiness Assessment and Roadmap
(Washington, DC, 2007-05)The assessment focuses on the degree of readiness of Government of The Maldives's (GoTM's) current public procurement environment for making a transition from traditional paper-based, manual methods of procurement transaction processing and communication to electronic government procurement (e-GP). The e-GP Assessment was discussed individually with informed respondents in the public and private sectors, who provided advice or comment on the degree of readiness of nine key components related to e-GP: government leadership, human resource planning, procurement planning and management, procurement policy, procurement legislation and regulation, Internet and electronic infrastructure, standards, private sector integration, and current e-GP systems and initiatives. The assessment found: adequate evidence that Internet and electronic infrastructure are in place and supported, little evidence that government leadership, planning and management, procurement regulation, standards, private sector integration, or e-GP systems are in place and being supported; no evidence that human resource planning, procurement legislation, or procurement policy were in place. This report outlines a strategy to make ready and implement electronic government procurement policies, infrastructure, and initiatives. -
Publication
Kosovo : Operational Procurement Review
(Washington, DC, 2004-06)This Operational Procurement Report (OPR) provides an assessment of the public-sector procurement system in Kosovo, including that on the legislative framework, the responsibilities and capacity of the institutions entrusted with regulatory and review powers, the efficacy of current procurement practices, and on the environment. The report makes recommendations to bring about legislative, institutional and procedural improvements in the conduct of public procurement, and to bolster the capacity of public-sector institutions to conduct procurement. The report also examines the performance of procurement in projects financed by the Bank, assesses the fiduciary risk to Bank funds from procurement operations in Kosovo, and makes recommendations for the design of procurement arrangements on new Bank-financed projects, and for future supervision of procurement to mitigate that risk. Among the various report recommendations, outlined are the enactment of a transitional legal instrument and completion of the legislative framework for public procurement. Furthermore, greater transparency and accountability of public officials conducting procurement transactions should be ensured, while technical capacity for public procurement should be built within the public sector. Most importantly, over the medium term, the new Law on Public Procurement should be amended. -
Publication
Peru : Restoring the Multiple Pillars of Old Age Income Security
(Washington, DC, 2004-01-26)In this report, the components of a national retirement security system are categorized - as "pillars", or as "tiers" according to their objective. This is in marked contrast to other publications that categorize the branches of a pension system in accordance with who administers them (the public or private sector); how are benefits structured (final-salary defined benefit formula, or defined contributions); or, their financing mechanism (pay-as-you-go, or full funding). Thus, the term "first pillar" or "pillar one" refers to that part of a pension system intended to keep elderly out of poverty; "second pillar" or "pillar two" to that part intended to help individuals smooth consumption over their life-cycle, i.e., to prevent a dramatic fall in income at retirement time; and, "third pillar" or "pillar three" to the instruments, and institutions available on a voluntary basis for workers to increase their income in old age. This report intends to explore, and present policy options to extend formal protection against old age poverty risks, at a fiscally sustainable cost, and aims as well at restoring the multiple pillars of formal old age income security. The report reviews the current pillars of Peru's retirement security system, grown weak, and by and large, has failed to diversify the risks to old-age income. The public branch of the "second pillar" still threatens the Government's fiscal stance, and constrains management of the economy. The private branch is costly, risky and administered by a private oligopoly. The "third pillar" of voluntary savings, and insurance instruments is weak, costly, lacks transparency and fails to complement benefits from the mandatory pillars. The report takes a comprehensive approach in its analysis of Peru's retirement security institutions, and, is divided into five sections. Following this introduction, Section II presents the dimensions of Peru's vulnerability to poverty in old age, by examining the nature of the risks to income from ageing in Peru. The section continues with a look at how well Government administered and/or mandated pension plans are covering these risks. Section III provides the institutional background, reviews reforms to formal social security institutions in the 1990's, and the progress achieved, and, examines the serious problems remaining. Section lV presents an analysis of proposals for reforms to each branch of the retirement security system, while Section V concludes by presenting policy options - some straight forward measures, while others, deeper, more controversial reforms - consistent with meeting the stated objective of extending protection against poverty in old age, in a fiscally, sustainable manner.