Gov't to mull abolishing public procurement office

The days of the Directorate for Public Procurement, as an independent institution, may be numbered. This transpired after a state secretariat in charge of legislation sent a proposal to the Ministry of Finance late this week. Gov't to mull abolishing public procurement office A commission set up to protect the rights of bidders in public procurement tenders also looks set to be scrapped. The directorate president Predrag Jovanovic told Beta that the new law on public procurements looks to strengthen the two institution's role and that shutting them down would put a question mark over the way EUR 1bn in pre-accession funds Serbia is to receive from the EU will be spent. "In this phase, Serbia needs bodies that will regulate public procurement tenders, and if this solution proposes that the Ministry of Finance should control the tenders, it must be asked who will control the ministry," Jovanovic said. According to him, self-regulation is not a realistic option considering that Serbia does not have internal auditing in place. Access to European funds and foreign investments would both be jeopardized by the proposed solutions, Jovanovic warned.

Gov't to mull abolishing public procurement office

A commission set up to protect the rights of bidders in public procurement tenders also looks set to be scrapped.

The directorate president Predrag Jovanović told Beta that the new law on public procurements looks to strengthen the two institution's role and that shutting them down would put a question mark over the way EUR 1bn in pre-accession funds Serbia is to receive from the EU will be spent.

"In this phase, Serbia needs bodies that will regulate public procurement tenders, and if this solution proposes that the Ministry of Finance should control the tenders, it must be asked who will control the ministry," Jovanović said.

According to him, self-regulation is not a realistic option considering that Serbia does not have internal auditing in place.

Access to European funds and foreign investments would both be jeopardized by the proposed solutions, Jovanović warned.