Public procurement in time of corona

Given the novel coronavirus Covid-19 outbreak and the declared state of emergency in the country, there is a need for a series of unplanned public procurement of goods, services and works related to the protection and prevention of the spread of the novel coronavirus Covid-19 infection. Given the seriousness of the situation and the state of emergency declared in the country, and pursuant to Article 55 paragraph (1) d of the Law on Public Procurement (Official Gazette of RM 24/19), these procurement are carried out under negotiated procedure without publication of a contract notice. Also, although procurement carried out under the negotiated procedure without publication of a contract notice need to obtain prior opinion from the Public Procurement Bureau, these procurement can be carried out directly, without previously obtaining such opinion from the Public Procurement Bureau.
Having in mind that the non-negotiated negotiation procedure is the least transparent one, and in that context emergency procurement carry an even greater risk of corruption due to the speed with which they are implemented and the public’s focus on other issues, there is a need for increased monitoring of the implementation of these procurements.
Therefore, the Center for Civil Communications conducts an extraordinary “monitoring and research of coronavirus-related emergency procurement” as it is particularly important in such circumstances that every penny of public money is purposeful and rationally linked, and in a hurry and crisis increases the risk of possible errors and abuses.