tion and Development • Arab Administrative Development ing for public procurement and executed by its members sional development, institutional orities and are working together to bring them Sharjah, UAE, June 2014 • First regional Training of Trainers: to the forefront of regional attention. Small National Training institutions • African Development Bank The Network and its agenda are both owned working groups are led by and comprised of Organization, League of Arab States national offjcials from the Network who have ment and its reform in MENA countries. in government contracting accessing businesses opportunities discuss issues faced by SMEs in and private sector stakeholders to cussion with government offjcials expertise or interest in these areas. on Capacity Building and SMEs • Two regional surveys and reports best practices documentation, resources, and regional electronic portal to share • Launch of fjrst phase of a —high-level Middle East And North Africa Network Of Public Procurement Experts Recent events in the Middle East and North Africa region have opened unprecedented windows of opportunity to respond to citizens’ demands to reform the public sector by making it more effjcient, transparent, and accountable. The Middle East and North Africa Member-led Action-Driven Network of Public Procurement Experts Network members selected their top three pri - was formed, with World Bank assistance, to address the key challenges facing public offjcials responsible for public procure - public procurement in the region. This unprecedented community of practice is led by its members who collectively work to address the actions they have identifjed. THE NETWORK’S PRIORITY AREAS Public Procurement Improving opportunities Modernizing Capacity Building for SMEs in government procurement tools contracting THE NETWORK’S RESULTS: KNOWLEDGE & RESEARCH PUBLIC-PRIVATE DIALOGUE PARTNERSHIPS TRAINING • Comprehensive roundtable dis - • European Bank of Reconstruc - • Regional approach to profes - strengthening and capacity build - PARTNERS
on the issues of Fraud & Corruption practitioners. The fjrst training of trainers was delivered in Sharjah, UAE of their procurement staff – resource and funding gaps, lack of training institutes, and fragmented approaches. work, with the support of the World Bank: • Partnered with the Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO), the capacity building arm of the Arab League • Leveraged existing materials and local training institutions to deliver training and implement capacity building on the front line • Taught delivery skills based on the experience of the most successful in June 2014 • Publish a strong governmental • Publicize the actual benefjts given to liaison. offjcial as compliance and ethics • Establish an internal governmental public interest and ethics programs as serving the policy favoring effective compliance ate dedicated institutions focusing Yet, MENA governments face similar obstacles in strengthening the skills sional workforce able to execute and make the laws work in practice. as well as experienced lecturers/trainers from national training trade unions to promote compliance programs as an integrity policy to • Work with Chambers of Commerce, cluded government offjcials and Network members from the region, prevent corruption fjcation of risks and risk assessment seminars ics fjeld, including conferences and companies with good programs The institutions in attendance agreed to customize the materials and offer a training program for SMEs in their own countries following • Know the law and keep records when the event. bidding on government contracts ees and business Partners professional organizations, and Public Procurement Capacity Building Working Together to Deliver Results Many governments have dedicated signifjcant time To create a sustainable solution to these capacity challenges, the Net - and resources to deciding what to deliver, without tackling how to deliver. MENA’s procurement systems won’t achieve results without a profes - Training of Trainers Event— Enhancing Business Opportunities for the Region’s SMEs SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES , JUNE 10-12, 2014 Topics included: • Public Procurement as an Opportunity for Doing Business • How to Participate in Public Procurement • Ethics and Integrity in Public Procurement • Pedagogy and Teaching Methods Trainers attended from nine countries in the region. Attendees in - institutions, including Lebanon’s and Tunisia’s Institutes of Finance; The SME Sub-committee of the MENA Network of Public Procurement Ex- Egypt’s General Authority of Government Services (GAGS); Djibouti’s perts, in close coordination and collaboration with the Capacity Building Chamber of Commerce; and Morocco’s National Agency for the Sub-committee, invited training institutions from the region to participate Promotion of SMEs. in a pilot Training of Trainers (ToT) Event at the facilities of ARADO in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Ethics and Integrity in Public Procurement PUBLIC SECTOR PRIVATE SECTOR • Enact laws and regulations and cre - • Pay more attention to ex-ante identi - • Allow government offjcials to par - ticipate in the compliance and eth - • Implement due diligence of employ -
Agency for the Promotion of SMEs and Summer 2014. a ment opportunities in two main ways: • Survey of eight countries in the region, led by the High Authority of Tender Control of Yemen. etc.). sented in June 2014. • Complete results and analysis to be published in an upcoming volume in works, maintenance, cleaning services, Bidder, products, repair work, various types of by SMEs (e.g., furniture, supply of food • procure goods/works/services offered teria and methodologies to harmonize 30% of GDP in some countries. (up to 70%), which accounts for up to ment of Morocco. • Report prepared by Morocco’s National presented to the Network in Sharjah budgets in public procurement activities • spend a large percentage of their cessing public procurement markets different industries and countries in the in Tunis with representatives of SMEs from raising the issues which impede their quick payments to contractors. ting feasible requirements, and making they structure contracts so they can be and submitting a bid, changing how the costs associated with preparing playing fjeld for SMEs by decreasing with SMEs, governments can level the ment processes. To facilitate contracting participation. as being a major obstacle Percent of survey respondents who identifjed a factor in a dialogue with the Government and participating tive price. provide quality goods, works or services making process as well, by engaging Bids issued by a Procuring Entity, or ture) in response to an Invitation for Roundtable discussion in November 2013 Improving Opportunities for SMEs in Government Contracting Inadequate capacity to participate 88% Promoting SME Access to Public Markets Delayed payments 75% Legal fragmentation and gaps Inadequate access to information Difficulties in forming joint ventures Burdensome 63% 63% 63% guarantee requirements 57% Obstacles SMEs face in public procurement Source: MENA Network Survey of Public Procurement Experts, 2014. Small and Medium Enterprises make up 80-90% of enterprises, 70% of employment, and 40% of GDP in MENA countries. But are they winning public contracts? The expansion of business opportunities for SMEs was endorsed by the Network as a regional priority in Tunis in November, 2013. A subcommittee comprising the Governments of Morocco, Tunisia, and Yemen is actively working with the World Bank and public and private sector stakeholders to expand the access of SMEs to public procurement in the MENA region. Their activities have included: The establishment of a capacity building A comprehensive review of the public pro- Crafting a proposal for a common defini- program for SMEs in the region to teach curement legal frameworks and practices tion for SMEs with respect to public pro- them how to competitively participate in across the region as they pertain to SMEs. curement in the region. government contracting. • Examination of current and possible cri - the defjnition from a public procure - ment standpoint, led by the Govern - • Initial fjndings from draft report pre - region to discuss the main challenges in ac - Building SMEs Governments and Public 1. As Governments, too, have respon - Capacity to Agencies in the region… alone or in association (joint ven - sibilities to involve SMEs in procure - Participate in Public 2. as a sub-contractor to a Bidder, to Procurement which the SME can offer at a competi - SMES must be engaged in the policy fulfjlled by SMEs where possible, set - SMEs can participate in public procure -
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