The Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) Viitorul, in collaboration with Partnership for Transparency (PTF), launched on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, the National Platform for Public Procurement (NPPP), within the project Increasing the Integrity of Public Procurement. The NPPP will be a national discussion forum, a permanent communication and dialogue mechanism for all actors in the public procurement sector - policy, control, and regulatory authorities, contracting authorities/entities, and economic operators. Alongside IDIS, three other civil society organizations delegated by the Public Procurement Monitoring Coalition are part of the NPPP.

The mission of the NPPP is to improve the efficiency, transparency, and integrity of the national public procurement system by addressing problems in the system, identifying solutions and proposing them as recommendations to be incorporated into policy by decision-makers. NPPP members represent authorities and organizations with an interest in the functioning and sustainability of the national public procurement system.

At meetings to be held quarterly, NPPP members will address priority topics, adopt common positions on procurement issues and challenges, make recommendations and contribute to policy development and implementation of solutions to overcome challenges.

Diana Enachi, procurement monitoring coordinator at IDIS Viitorul, said that this initiative was designed to facilitate dialogue between representatives of the public procurement sector and discuss the shortcomings, problems, and difficulties they encounter in the public procurement process. "The ultimate goal of the work of this platform is to find solutions by thinking of new policies to solve problems in the public procurement sector. Not necessarily for every problem and at every meeting will we find simple, clear solutions that can be easily implemented, but this communication, and the fact that we are all gathered around the same table, is a step forward to remedy those difficulties in the monitoring procress identifieid by us as members of civil society," said Diana Enachi.

Liubomir Chiriac, Executive Director of IDIS Viitorul said that the public procurement sector represents about 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Republic of Moldova and 20-25% of the National Public Budget. "It is a very important sector for the development of the country. Efficient public procurement leads to the solution of many challenges, which refer to financial discipline, the modernization of public administration, the opening of new jobs, the fight against corruption, increasing citizens' trust in the state, etc. "Public procurement" can mean transparency, fairness, and good governance, but it can also mean insufficient training of the members of the working groups responsible for the planning and preparation of documents, insufficient transparency, internal controls, monitoring, and integrity in the evaluation process. There are still a lot of constraints in this area, although efforts have been made and results have been achieved," said Liubomir Chiriac.

Hady Fink, Project Director at Partnership for Transparency (PTF), said that the project is a valuable one, especially because of the results already achieved and the partnership with IDIS Viitorul. "Thank you to the US Government for this support. We at PTF are using this moment to make this change... We want this project to not go unnoticed. We are glad that there is this interest from the authorities. With the help of civil society we hope to improve this sector, contributing to an agenda that will bring more transparency and integrity to public procurement in Moldova and really improve the system," said Hady Fink.

Lilia Radul, a senior consultant in the Public Procurement Directorate of the Ministry of Finance, said her institution is always open to working with civil society. "Many times we meet for discussions, round tables, etc. We have also signed a memorandum with IDIS Viitorul. We continue to count on the support of civil society, on your courage and ambition to identify problems, gaps, and illegalities in this area, which is very important for the country. Public procurement is about public money", said Lilia Radul.

According to Sergiu Lazarencu, member of the Moldovan Parliament, member of the Committee on Economy, Budget and Finance, once the negotiations for Moldova's accession to the European Union (EU) are launched, the country will be eligible to access funds, which will have to be absorbed quickly, qualitatively and in compliance with the legal framework. "In this context, it is important to take steps to improve public procurement at all levels of government, but also to increase the involvement of civil society in decision-making processes at all levels. Parliament will give all the necessary support to develop a public procurement system capable of providing value for money in the use of public funds and will certainly be receptive and support all good proposals that will come from this platform", said Sergiu Lazarencu.

Julie Limoges, Head of the Economic Unit, Embassy of the United States of America, said that the US is always open to supporting initiatives focused on such important activities. "Transparent public procurement is an essential component of a transparent government. This provides assurance that public funds will be absorbed quickly and the benefits will be in the best interests of citizens. The value of public procurement works towards the welfare of citizens. It also contributes to economic development. As the Republic of Moldova moves along the road to EU membership, it will need to ensure that the public procurement system complies with European practical and theoretical standards. We support the Republic of Moldova in strengthening public procurement and building a more prosperous society," said Julie Limoges.

In turn, Carolina Ungureanu, deputy director, project manager at IDIS Viitorul, said that the main objective of the platform is to come up with recommendations to improve the public procurement system, and the ultimate goal is to have efficiency in the use of public money and strengthen the capacities of all actors involved in this process. "We at IDIS Viitorul are constantly coming up with recommendations to improve the legal framework. When certain documents are published for discussion, we are the ones who provide the necessary expertise and support. The experience of the Republic of Moldova is intended to be transposed to other countries, organizations, and institutions as a model. We are glad that the work we do every day at IDIS Viitorul in the field of public procurement is reflected in tangible results. The fact that you, members of this platform, are here today means that you want discussions and cooperation, that there is a need to meet at the same table, altogether, to address problems, to see perspectives, even if they sometimes differ, but to find that consensus", said Carolina Ungureanu.

In the second part of the event, the first working session of the NPPP took place. Discussions focused on legal, procedural and technical issues and challenges in the field of public works procurement. The members of the NPPP outlined the problems and came up with solutions and recommendations to overcome them. The secretariat of the NPPP is IDIS Viitorul, which collected the problems identified and the recommendations formulated to overcome them. These will be brought to the attention of the institutions with the necessary powers to study and implement them.

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The project Increasing the Integrity of Public Procurement  is implemented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) Viitorul, in partnership with the American organization Partnership for Transparency Fund. The project aims to support public procurement reforms in Moldova that will increase transparency and fairness in public procurement by empowering citizens to hold relevant institutions accountable.

IDIS Viitorul is an independent think tank established in 1993 that combines social, political and economic research with strong advocacy components. The institution conducts applied monitoring research in several areas: economics, social policy, EU policies, regional development, but also security and foreign policy risks.

Partnership for Transparency (PTF) is based in Washington DC and its mission is to promote innovative civil society-led approaches to improving governance, increasing transparency, promoting the rule of law, and reducing corruption in developing and emerging countries. Since 2000, PTF has supported over 250 projects aimed at promoting NGO involvement in decisions, processes, and laws that enforce transparency and accountability in public procurement.