Improving public procurement in South Asia discussed as key to reducing corruption

Government representatives from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan met in Nepal in late-April  to discuss strategies to improve the quality of public procurement as a way of reducing corruption and bringing public finances under control in the South Asia region.

The inaugural South Asia Region Public Procurement Forum opened with a speech by Jhala Nath Khanal, prime minister of Nepal, who promoted improving procurement.

The three-day forum was  supported by the World Bank and the Asian Development Fund and was intended to build on the slow but steady pace of reforming the way public procurement is conducted.

Over the course of the event, representatives from eight countries will share information and best practice as they try to take a more collaborative approach to tackling issues in the region.

Delegates at the conference heard from both The World Bank and the Asian Development Fund, co-sponsors of the event, about how they see the current state of public procurement in South Asia.

Speaking at an event in Bhutan in March, Nima Wangdi, director-general of the finance ministry, spoke of the lack of structure in current procurement processes.

“A tender committee is formed where anyone available becomes a member,” he said. “No planning is done on what’s to be procured at what time.”

As reported, CIPS is working with the government in Bhutan, where a lack of professional buying is a prime cause of problems in the supply chain, leading to delays and resulting in litigation in some cases.

Public procurement in South Asia is governed in varied ways and a number of countries, including Nepal and Pakistan, have passed on specific laws covering procurement.

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