Emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has created a need for fast adjustment to the newly created situation, especially in respect to procurements that should be urgently implemented on the account that the people’s security, life and health are directly threatened.
The project includes activities to reduce corruption and misuse of public funds of local governments by increasing the transparency, accountability and integrity of local institutions and implementation of measures provided in the National Strategy for Prevention of Corruption and Conflict of Interest 2021-2025. The project is implemented with financial support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The project aims at increasing Western Balkans (WB) civil society impact on anti-corruption policies and practices during the public procurement (PP) cycle by utilizing the EU integration as a transformative agenda. There are four major target groups addressed by the action in order to achieve set goals in all participating countries: 1) civil society organizations, media and journalists; 2) national governments and public bodies; 3) business sector; 4) the EU institutions participating in the enlargement process.
Policy Brief: Suggestions for amendments to the Law on Free Access to Public Information and for enhancing its application on the part of journalists
The project analyses the spending of public money in Macedonia in terms of transparency, competition and equal treatment of companies, non-discrimination, economic, efficient, effective and rational use of public funds, the endeavor to get the best offer under the most favorable conditions as well as accountability for public spending. The project includes two components: - Monitoring the implementation of the public procurement by the institutions on national and local level, by monitoring of 120 randomly selected public procurement procedures annually at the central level and 80 at the local level through direct presence at the opening of tenders, in-depth interviews with suppliers, analysis of data published on the electronic procurement system, requests for public information, etc. The monitoring results include major findings, as well as specific recommendations for measures to be taken (legally and in practice) for improving the overall public procurement system in the country. - Index of rationality as a newly introduced instrument for the direct measurement of rationality in spending of public money. The index compares the prices at which different institutions buy exactly the same products, services or works, ranging according to deviations in terms of average price. The index serves as an indicator of the state institutions against which they will improve rationality in spending of public money. Each index includes a comparison of prices for at least five products, services and works, as well as the involvement of five to ten institutions for each of the analyzed procurement.
