Public procurement goes online with U.S. funding assistance

TIRANA, April 21 – A U.S. funded program has allowed public procurements in Albania to be performed online. Officials hope this will result in less cost, more transparency, increased competition and greater efficiency in using public money, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy.
Bids for a fully electronic procurement system were opened last week.
This procurement, to buy IT connectivity for seven central government institutions, was run by the newly established Central Procurement Body at the Ministry of Interior. It is the second fully electronic procurement to be carried out in Albania; the first was held on April 9, 2008.
The Albanian Government turned to e-procurement as part of its efforts to improve transparency, efficiency and accountability in government purchasing, while combating corruption and promoting fair competition among businesses. The e-procurement system (EPS) provides a web-based platform for online public procurement procedures in Albania. Accessible through the Public Procurement Agency (PPA) portal, www.app.gov.al, the system was built based upon EU requirements and meets high international standards in its ease of use and security.
The EPS now includes all public tender notices in Albania. Bidding documents and notices posted at www.app.gov.al can be downloaded for free by interested businesses, which can also submit bids online. By eliminating paper files and simplifying procedures, e-procurement saves government contract authorities from 50-80 percent of the cost of the average paper procurement.
Six public institutions have now issued twelve tender notices through the EPS, including five from the Ministry of Defense, two from the Ministry of Culture נto reconstruct the International Cultural Center and National Library נas well as from the Ministry of Environment and the National Registration Center, with values in goods and services varying from 1 million to 1.58 billion Lek.
Prime Minister Berisha emphasized that e-procurement will benefit the government, the business community and, ultimately, the public. U.S. Ambassador Withers commended the government of Albania for introducing e-procurement, which he predicted “will be viewed both within and outside Albania as a positive change for the business environment in Albania and an added incentive for investors.”
The e-procurement system was developed as part of the two-year Millennium Challenge Albania Threshold Agreement between the government of Albania and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (www.mcc.gov), administered by the USAID, which assists Albania in reforming and modernizing tax administration, public procurement and business registration. (Tirana Times Staff)