Public Purchasers Are Taught, and Challenges Remain

The State Service for Antimonopoly Policy and Consumer Protection held on October 11-12 the first training course for more than 70 specialists of the Ministries of Defense and Interior, involved in the public procurement process.

The report of the Ministry of Economy stated that the employees of the State Service told about how to ensure competition in the procurement process, the execution of procurement procedures in accordance with legislation, as well as more efficient use of public funds.

 Despite the fact that the State Service for Antimonopoly Policy and Consumer Protection has supervised the public procurement process since March, many shortcomings still remain. For example, in purchasing ads accurate information is not given about the required volume of goods (works and services). Although since the entry into force of the Law of Azerbaijan "On public procurements" (2001), the same Ministry of Defense and the Interior were to give full information about the purchased volume of food and clothing. Monitoring of tender announcements shows that the requirement to provide information about the characteristics of the goods (works and services), the timing of execution of signed agreements, etc. is not fulfilled by at least 90% of the state structures. In addition, the few government agencies that publish in the media information about the results of procurement procedures do not provide information on the cost of the procurement contract.

The State Service told Turan administrative sanctions can be applied to eliminate such phenomena.

In 2015, the government agencies through competitive procedures concluded more than 8,300 deals. The State Register of public procurement shows some data about 7,200 procurement deals.  ----08B