Increasing the Integrity of Public
Procurement in Moldova
PTF Makes Progress in Moldova With Critical Anti-Corruption Projects
May 13, 2024: When Maia Sandu won election as President of Moldova at the end of 2020 she wrote on Facebook that she hoped the result would mark “the end of the reign of thieves in Moldova.”
The fight against corruption that President Sandu has been waging is not just a rejection of years of corrupt oligarch power in this tiny country that borders Ukraine, but a vital requirement for Moldova’s membership in the European Union.
PTF’s multi-year project is an important component in Moldova’ struggle against corruption.
PTF is playing a key advisory role in support of the Moldovan civil society organization, the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) “Viitorul”, to counter one of the largest sources of bribery and crime in the country – crooked public procurement contracting.
“We are at a key stage in this important project that is securing successes in increasing public procurement transparency through citizen monitoring and reporting,” says Hady Fink, PTF Project Manager. He adds, “We have witnessed significant progress throughout this multi-year project, and we are confident that our efforts in strengthening Civil Society capacity and the mechanisms and tools to support their efforts will bring about meaningful results, together with IDIS, as the project moves into its final year to mid-2025”.
Hady Fink noted that training programs, engagement of journalists, securing publicity for transparency in public contracting and establishing effective digital platforms are some of the key goals of the project that are being attained. The project is being funded by the US State Department.
Training civil society organizations to monitor public procurement and to report on abuses in efforts to heighten transparency and accountability is a leading project area for PTF. PTF Advisors with extensive experience in this field have worked in numerous countries and the successful progress in Moldova, for example, follows the completion of a highly successful PTF project in Ukraine.
A report from the Open Contracting Partnership and Spend Network estimates that globally governments spend $13 trillion a year on public contracts for goods, services and works. But less than 3% ($363 billion) is published openly. Opaque contracts that are missing information shut out businesses, journalists and civil society from analyzing and interrogating the data.
Current Project Status:
The current Project Phase 3 consists of four main components: 1. Subgrantee Monitoring. 2. Digital Platform. 3. Coalition Building. 4. Stakeholder Engagement and National Platform for Public Procurement (NPPP).
Subgrantee Monitoring: The first round of eight subgrants for the monitoring project were successful. The subgrantees formulated sixty-nine notifications and recommendations to government authorities and 231 reports on their activities. The grantees learned from their experiences and expressed a desire to do future monitoring. The second round of five subgrants is currently underway and is expected to finish later this year.
Digital Platform: A subcontractor (SensMedia) was selected to create and launch the Digital Platform, supervised by IDIS.
Coalition Building: The Coalition of Monitors has met three times. Participants included over 30 stakeholders with varied backgrounds and made recommendations to the government.
Stakeholder Engagement and National Platform for Public Procurement (NPPP): The inaugural meeting occurred in December 2023. Stakeholders included Moldovan national and local government organizations, as well as CSOs representing the Coalition. The Moldovan Ministry of Finance committed to systemic and organized participation of its representatives in the activities of the NPPP through the signing of a cooperation agreement with IDIS. The NPPP is scheduled to meet on a quarterly basis.
May 23, 2024: Moldova Project’s Public Procurement Monitoring Coalition held its 4th Working Meeting
April 5, 2024: Moldova: Second Working Session of the National Platform for Public Procurement
August 19, 2024: IDIS Viitorul Publishes “Monitoring Moldova’s Public Procurement” Newsletter No. 12
Please find more information on the project and our project partner below. The latest project flyer can be downloaded here.
About Our Partner
IDIS Viitorul was established in June 1993 as a non-profit organization in Moldova. Its mission is to contribute to the growth of an independent thinking environment in Moldova and in other emerging democracies; to assist in the creation of a modern, viable and open market-economy; to assist in the expansion of a civil society in which the citizens act together to express their own interests; to exchange information; and to strive for mutual goals and influence government.
IDIS has implemented six projects and produced a number of policy notes on procurement in addition to many projects and policy notes in other areas. IDIS staff and consultants have acquired considerable expertise in detecting and analyzing how procurement laws and best practices are circumvented at the expense of society at large. They have also developed skills in designing a framework to prevent such practices which is indispensable for the development of a transparent and efficient procurement system. IDIS partners with regional governments, state agencies and private companies/contractors working towards building such a framework and committed to operating within it. IDIS is the founder of the National Business Agenda, a partnership with a wide range of private partners, including clusters of industries and business associations. The National Business Agenda assists partners building institutional capacity, enrich public-private dialogue and forge coalitions to boost regulatory policies.
Project Objectives
The overall goal of the project is to encourage more transparent and effective use of public funds and ensure improved delivery of good and services to the citizens of Moldova.
The objectives of the program are the following:
- Moldovan civil society organizations (CSOs) and journalists are sufficiently equipped to conduct meaningful monitoring of procurement processes;
- Procurement processes are appropriately monitored by Moldovan CSOs and journalists making use of the e-procurement system; and
- Findings and recommendations resulting from credible and professional CSO monitoring are taken seriously and acted upon by contracting entities, contractors, and government oversight and law enforcement entities including the National Anticorruption Center.
Additional Information: Civil Society Monitoring of Public Procurement
Project Activities
The project is conducted in three phases: inception, training, and monitoring.
In the inception phase, the project team conducted a baseline survey and a series of informant interviews with key stakeholders to gather the information needed to solidify the project plan and ensure all major considerations were accounted for. This phase also included a risk analysis which allowed the team to adjust plans as needed in order to mitigate potential challenges to the project activities.
During the training phase, the team assessed the needs of participating CSOs and investigative journalists in order to prepare a curriculum and suite of training materials that would best suit their skills and interests. The training program consisted of twelve modules of two sessions each, and ran from October to December 2021. The training introduced the concept of effective and responsible procurement monitoring, emphasizing risks in procurement, important red flags, risk indicators and risk evaluation. It stressed the importance of a systematic approach with the use of checklists covering different stages of the procurement process, access to reliable data and analytical tools. By the conclusion of the program, over forty Moldova-based CSO representatives and investigative journalists were equipped to monitor public procurement process. All participants were selected through an open application process based on their experience and interest.
Following the completion of the training, the monitoring phase began, during which trainees monitored live public procurement contracts, with continued support from IDIS and PTF. CSOs and investigative journalists who participated in the training were able to apply for subgrants from the project in order to carry out this work. The project team and experts will assist the monitoring CSOs in analyzing procurement data and preparing queries and requests for investigation by Moldovan entities responsible for overseeing the procurement system, including law enforcement agencies in the case of suspected criminal activities and corruption. If these entities are not seen to take appropriate action, the monitoring CSOs, with the help of the project team, will work with international and bilateral donors represented in Moldova to incorporate such issues as part of their high-level policy dialogue with the government.
Project Team
Hady Fink
Project Manager, PTF Europe
Karin Millett
Adviser and Board Member, PTF
Sabine Engelhard
Chief Legal Procurement Adviser, PTF
Johannes Tonn
Adviser, PTF
Lars Jeurling
Procurement Technical Specialist, PTF Europe
Gianmarco Frezza
Junior Project Consultant, PTF
Carolina Ungureanu
Project Coordinator and Deputy Director of International Cooperation, IDIS
Diana Enachi
Project Coordinator and Public Procurement Expert, IDIS
Viorel Pîrvan
Expert Consultant, IDIS
Vadim Turcan
Expert Consultant, IDIS
Maria Procopciuc
Communications Officer, IDIS
Additional Information
Social Media
Facebook: Partnership for Transparency / Achizitii Moldova
LinkedIn: Partnership for Transparency / IDIS Viitorul
Twitter: @PTFund / @IDIS_Viitorul