Publication: Opportunities and Challenges for Public Procurement in the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From an Experts Survey
Date
2021-04-19
ISSN
Published
2021-04-19
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic created
unprecedented circumstances and challenges in many
dimensions, without clear ex ante directions and guidance on
the best strategies for coping with the emergency, including
in public procurement. As a result, especially in the first
months of the pandemic, governments responded to the
COVID-19 crisis in myriad ways. To rationalize and take
stock of these diverse experiences and challenges, the World
Bank’s Procurement and Standards Global Unit and Development
Impact Evaluation (DIME) unit conducted an International
Survey of Procurement Specialists and Experts to document
the legal and administrative framework for national
emergency public procurement in the first months after the
global COVID-19 outbreak. The survey was implemented between
May and August 2020 and received 136 contributions covering
103 countries. The authors find that (a) some countries
relied more heavily on high-risk procedures than on the
procedures considered critical for effective and efficient
emergency procurement; (b) lack of clarity on procurement
needs and lack of coordination were significant bottlenecks
experienced by most surveyed countries; (c) transparency and
accountability standards deteriorated for COVID-19-related
procurement relative to standard procurement; and (d)
e-procurement, lessons from previous emergencies, and the
quality of institutions are factors that enable national
procurement systems to respond in a timely and effective
manner to emergencies such as the COVID-19 crisis. Using
these results, authors provide policy recommendations to
guide countries to prepare and adapt their national
procurement systems to respond to critical emergencies such
as the COVID-19 crisis.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2021. Opportunities and Challenges for Public Procurement in the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From an Experts Survey. Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions Insight;. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35472 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”