Other Procurement Study

2020-06-24, World Bank

Between December 2017 and April 2018, a joint Government of Uganda and World Bank team conducted a study on public-private partnership (PPP) disclosure in Uganda, using the PPP Disclosure Diagnostic template recommended by the World Bank Framework for Disclosure of Information in PPPs. This study has been consolidated in the form of a PPP Disclosure Diagnostic Report (hereinafter Diagnostic Report) for Uganda. The Diagnostic Report examines the political, legal, and institutional environment for disclosure in PPPs. Based on a gap assessment exercise with key political, legal, institutional, and process findings benchmarked against the World Bank’s framework, the Diagnostic Report makes specific recommendations to improve disclosure, including recommended customized guidelines for PPP disclosure in Uganda. The findings suggest that there has been movement toward greater transparency and openness in all areas of government in Uganda, with several new initiatives having been launched in recent years. The 1995 Constitution of Uganda created new obligations on public bodies to promote more transparent governance structures. This was enhanced substantially with the enactment of the Access to Information Act 2005 (as well as the issuing of Access to Information Regulations in 2011), which, among other things, promotes proactive disclosure of information held by public authorities. Uganda has taken other progressive steps, such as signing the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption. In 2010, Uganda formulated its National e-Government Policy, which, among others, formed the basis for the establishment of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance. The policy identifies several services and processes that are being progressively rolled out on Internet-based platforms for greater efficiency and transparency. These include government-to-government services, such as implementing financial management information systems; government-to-citizen, services, such as provision of passports and other certification services; and government-to-business services, such as e-procurement for government tenders.

2009-11-01, World Bank

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.

2018, World Bank

A joint Government of Honduras and World Bank team conducted a study in Honduras between January and June 2017, using the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Disclosure Diagnostic template recommended by the World Bank Framework for Disclosure of Information in PPPs. This study has been consolidated in the form of a PPP Disclosure Diagnostic Report for Honduras. The Diagnostic Report examines the political, legal, and institutional environment for disclosure in PPPs. Based on a gap assessment exercise with key political, legal, institutional, and process findings benchmarked against the World Bank Framework, the Diagnostic Report makes specific recommendations to improve disclosure. The recommendations include a customized framework for disclosure of PPPs in Honduras.

2015, World Bank Group

Inadequate infrastructure in developing countries is a major constraint on growth. Many governments face the challenge of low quality or non-existent infrastructure, often deriving from insufficient funding, poor planning, or ineffective delivery and maintenance. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can help improve the quality of infrastructure "by vesting control rights with the private sector, bundling into one contract the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the facility, and by transferring the risk of cost and time overruns to the private partner". Well-structured PPPs create the right incentives to maintain high performance records. They also tend to realign incentives in long-term service contracts so that responsibility for service delivery is transferred to the party with most to gain from sustained high performance. An appropriate PPP preparation and bidding process leads to a more efficient use of resources because the private partner will have a stake in the long-term implications of the cost of the infrastructure. In addition to these benefits, PPPs offer an opportunity to conduct "more informed and realistic selection procedures" by assessing long-term commitments and risk and shifting the focus from inputs to outputs (and even outcomes)