REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENHANCING INTEGRITY IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT

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REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENHANCING INTEGRITY IN
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
UNODC
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

• The role of new technologies in public procurement

Caroline Nicholas UNODC/UNCITRAL Rabat, Morocco 3
April 2008
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• UN Convention Against Corruption
• Article 9 requirements for procurement systems
• Transparency, competition and objective criteria
  in decision-making

UNODC United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• UNCAC Requirements mean
• Legislative framework
• Regulations
• Institutional, administrative and legal
  infrastructure

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Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• Legislative framework
• UNCITRAL 1994 Model Law on Procurement
• In process of revision (UNCAC compliant)
• e-communications/e-procurement to be introduced
• Similar provisions in other international texts

UNODC United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• E-procurement why?
• Efficient new procurement methods
• Opportunity to achieve many procurement
  objectives
• More information, better controls
• Major potential benefit - enhanced transparency

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Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• How to translate good intentions into results
• Not enough to create a website
• Vital to integrate procurement, accountability
  oversight systems
• Vital role of transparency

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Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• UNCITRAL Model Law revisions
• E-communications
• Functional equivalent approach
• Writing, signature, record or meeting can be by
  e-communication
• Legal recognition not in Model Law in
  e-commerce laws

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Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• E-communications under UNCITRAL
• Means of communication chosen by procuring
  entity,
• No justification, but safeguards
• Approach allows e-tenders

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Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• Safeguards under UNCITRAL
• Choice of communications subject to
  non-discrimination provisions
• readily capable of being utilized with those in
  common use by suppliers or contractors
• Means of communication set out in solicitation
  documents
• Measures to ensure authenticity, integrity and
  confidentiality required

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Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• Electronic reverse auction (ERA)
• Bidding prices down over the Internet
• Commonly used, regulation varies
• Auctions not previously permitted under Model Law

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Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• Transparency provisions (1)
• In solicitation documents
• Criteria to determine the successful bid
• Price/non-price criteria
• Relative weight of criteria
• Mathematical formula

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Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• Transparency provisions (2)
• In solicitation documents
• Any limits on numbers
• Initial bids required
• Other/elsewhere
• All other relevant information (list?)

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Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
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The role of new technologies in public procurement

• E-procurement useful new tool
• E-procurement reform process
• Not just replacing letters with emails
• http//www.unodc.org/
• http//www.uncitral.org/

UNODC United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime