Will there be transparent tenders in Karabakh?

Baku/28.10.21/Turan: Recently, diplomats visiting Azerbaijan, officials of the embassies representing their countries have expressed interest in participating in the restoration of the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation.

On Wednesday, the Ambassador of the United States of America to Azerbaijan, Lee Litzenberger, also spoke about the possible participation of American companies in the liberated territories, but subject to open tenders. However, experts note that holding open and transparent tenders is one of the most important conditions for Western companies to work in Azerbaijan.

Are the tenders announced in Azerbaijan in connection with the liberated territories transparent in general?

The report of the Accounts Chamber for 2020 says that the department has repeatedly highlighted many of the shortcomings that have accumulated over the years of work in this area.

Among the shortcomings faced by the Accounts Chamber in the field of public procurement, it should be noted that the procurement authorities fail to complete annual and quarterly procurement plans, fail to comply with the principles of transparency and efficiency, incorrect calculation of the likely price in public procurement or not calculating it in general, procurement planning without taking into account and specifying the needs of the institution for products, works and services, the absence of an approved estimate for procurement, and the adoption of funding as a basis.

At the end of March this year, six tenders were announced for the restoration of the liberated territories. According to the public procurement portal, the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture held a tender for 20 million manat not through an open tender, but through a survey of proposals. In addition, participants were given only 4 days to prepare proposals, while the number of participants and proposals were not disclosed in the proposal survey. Only the names of the winners and the scope of work were announced.

The State Service for Antimonopoly Supervision and Supervision of the Consumer Market under the Ministry of Economy reported that the amendments introduced on June 22 of this year to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Public Procurements" created wider opportunities for further facilitating the participation of entrepreneurs in public procurement, increasing healthy competition between them, efficient and economical use of public funds.

The ministry noted that the improvements carried out in recent years in the field of public procurement, the creation of a "single electronic portal for public procurement", an open tender through electronic procurement, increased transparency and competitiveness in public procurement have created a basis for the active participation of micro, small and medium-sized entities. entrepreneurship in procurement. “During the procurement conducted on a competitive basis in 2020, compared to the estimated price, 8.03 percent of public funds were saved. This is 12.8 percent more than in 2019. The results were canceled due to irregularities identified in 230 conducted tenders and 1,061 quotation surveys."

Economist and businessman Nazim Baidamirli told Radio Azadlig that some countries, especially members of the OSCE Minsk Group, due to the fact that they turned a blind eye to plundering the wealth of Azerbaijan for many years of occupation, had to take disinterested participation in the restoration of these territories. "The Azerbaijani government hastily made a statement that it will carry out restoration work at its own expense."

According to the economist, the society began to understand that after the liberation of Karabakh one cannot get rid of corruption. "Corruption continues on an even greater scale. In Azerbaijan, tenders are held only on paper, and sometimes not even on paper. There are companies in Turkey whose transparency the Turkish society is sounding the alarm about, these companies are becoming key in Karabakh. And our own companies, who can contribute to the construction remain on the sidelines. Questions about how these companies became the winners of the tender should be addressed, even if they belong to our brotherly country. These tenders cause me doubts."

The expert noted that without strengthening public control over tenders and public procurement, tenders will be non-transparent. — 0—