Overview

This seminar is primarily designed for policy makers, in particular those who have a policy or oversight responsibility related to PP, senior officials or legislators who have or intend to play a key role in public procurement (PP) for their respective institutions or as key stakeholders of PP reforms and development.

Participants will gain insight on the roles of the executive, judiciary, and legislature bodies as well as other stakeholders in civil society that are involved or interested in PP policies, legislation and regulations. Participants will also get a broad overview of the underpinnings and critical elements of PP reforms, how they may be embedded in international PP standards and best practice, and the tools for oversight of PP.

The seminar will highlight the strategies, approaches and tools for developing a well-designed and effective country PP system as part of its governance framework, covering the essential legal, institutional, operational, professional, and transparency aspect, and focusing on transparency and accountability. Recently Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), inter alia the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the Asian Development Bank have updated their procurement policy frameworks with objectives of modernization, increased flexibility and eventual reliance on the use of countries PP institutions and systems.

Format

The seminars are currently offered both in-person and online simultaneously, at the choice of the participant. This choice must be indicated at the time of registration. A small number of courses are scheduled to be delivered exclusively in person or online, and are indicated as such in the 2024 schedule. In-Person Only seminars usually start at 9:30 am Washington D.C. time. Daily sessions usually end at 4:00 pm. Breaks (including the lunch break) are allocated as appropriate. Online Only seminars will be delivered through five (for 1-week course) or ten (for 2-weeks course) live online sessions via videoconferencing platform. Each session will last approximately 3.5 hours and will be scheduled to start within a time window of 7:00 am – 8:30 am Washington D.C. time. Hybrid In-Person/Online seminars will start at a time most convenient to both in-person and online participants, and will generally follow the In-Person seminar format. We expect the classes to be highly interactive and can include presentations, case studies and exercises.

Classes will be highly interactive and include in class discussions and group exercises in addition to high-level presentations. Participants are expected to fully engage in all.

Course Outline

Public Procurement (PP) and Governance

• Role and importance of PP in governance; role of Executive Government, Legislative, and Judiciary in PP; issues & trends in using PP as a key policy and development tool
• Main components of PP Legal, Regulatory & Institutional Frameworks: international standards and UNCITRAL model law; differing approaches under common law and civil code; importance of new aspects (e.g. sustainable procurement or emergency procurement) in PP policy-making
• Approaches and key aspects to enhance transparency, efficiency, integrity, ethics and accountability and develop anticorruption initiatives
• Innovation strategies, inter alia E-Government procurement and innovative market-oriented methods and procedures
• Compliance, Accountability, Oversight & Monitoring (including risks and audits) and the role of civil society
• New Procurement policies and procedures, Financing requirements and Sanctions regimes and cross debarment of MDBs (WB, AfDB, ADB, IDB); importance of the United
• Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Trade and economic integration in public procurement and the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

Country PP systems

• Methodologies and tools to assess PP systems (including the MAPS initiative)
• Stakeholders analysis & PP reforms dialogue
• Importance of institutional, operational and organizational resources in PP, including information systems and management; professional Workforce (main features, curricula and training, incentives and career development); data collection and reporting
• PP Reforms: how to develop a feasible agenda and implement it effectively and efficiently?

Course Advisor

Bernard Becq is an independent consultant with more than 35 years of experience. He is a senior adviser, course advisor and lecturer at the ILI. Dr. Becq was the World Bank´s Chief Procurement Officer from 2006 to 2013. Dr. Becq´s experience includes working with French development agencies, in particular, he was the Deputy Chief of the International Consulting Firm of ENPC, and Project Officer and Adviser to the President at Agence Coopération et Aménagement (ACA). Dr. Becq holds graduate degrees in Mathematics from Paris VI University and in civil engineering from ENTPE in Paris, France, and a Master degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Southern California (USC), in Los Angeles, USA, where he also completed post graduate work (PhD ABD).

Allan Rotman – Leadership, Governance and Procurement Advisor GHSC-PSM. Allan is a procurement and health supply chain professional with 30 years of experience including cross cutting experience in infrastructure, energy, water, urban and environment fields. He has worked for multilateral institutions in senior positions at the World Bank (20 years), Africa Development Bank (2 years), Millennium Challenge Corporation (3 years), and directly for government ministries in Kenya (2 years). Previously he worked in the private sector (15 years) with a Canadian engineering consulting firm. Allan has worked in over 55 countries internationally.