E-Procurement Training for Businesses and Civil Society

Thursday, September 7, 2017
Representatives of CSOs and business community during the workshop
Xheraldina Cernobregu, USAID

Civil society organizations and the private sector are an essential part of public procurement reform. While some of them are aware of the process most need to learn how to use the e-procurement system: all businesses must submit their procurement bids electronically through the platform, and the CSOs that monitor public procurement must know how to enter the system and observe procurement processes on the electronic platform.  And yet, few individuals in either group had previously received any training or even had a basic familiarity on the new e-procurement system. 

To address this gap, USAID Transparent Effective and Accountable Municipalities activity is working with the Public Procurement Regulatory Commission (PPRC), the Kosovo Institution for Public Administration (KIPA), and other relevant stakeholders to provide the needed e-procurement training.  These training events involve hands-on instruction allowing trainees to enter directly into the electronic procurement platform.  At a recent training session, Acting Mission Director Mike de la Rosa praised the key role that both communities will play in fighting corruption in public procurement in Kosovo.  He stressed that a modernized, more transparent procurement system will help Kosovo’s economic development and foster citizens' trust in public institutions.

In addition to the current training sessions for businesses and CSOs, USAID has already trained 186 procurement officers from central and local government institutions.