Procurement "for billions": convenient rules
The system for public discussion of major procurement requires both technical and legislative adjustment. This is the opinion of experts, who analysed the practice of such discussions in line with the law on the contractual system. The procedure itself is regulated by order of the Ministry for Economic Development, which has to be worked on further, believe participants of the open meeting of 11 March, devoted to the practice of discussing contracts "for billions".
Public Procurement: first problems for the new law
The first stage in the application of the new law on the contracts system has revealed a number of problems pertaining to the placement of government orders, of which the most acute involve human resources and technology issues. Representatives of interested parties discussed these problems at a round table, organised under the aegis of the Open Government at the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum.
Head of the Legislative Reform Department of the Centre for Regional Programmes to Enhance Public and Municipal Administration at IPAMM NRU HSE Veronica Dzhuzhoma took part in the round table discussion, entitled "The Contracts System: now underway. Pilot experience in enhancing the effectiveness of public procurement."
Public controllers sought for public procurement
The adoption of the law on public control, amendments to the law on non-profit organisations, the provision of quotas for free training of public controllers, the creation of an industry-based platform to unite public controllers and the register and rating of controllers, based on specific results, will all help to stimulate public organisations get involved in control issues related to procurement. This is the conclusion reached by members of a working group of the Expert Council under the Russian Government at a meeting on 13 February, devoted to development of effective public control over public procurement.
A trillion saved on public officials
The Government has confirmed that everything is ready for the entry into effect of the new Federal Contracts System (FCS) from 1 January. With this system savings are expected on public procurement of at least a trillion roubles over three years. At the same time, the year 2014 will be a transitional year for the FCS.
Kazan hosts inter-regional conference on the contractual system in public procurement
On 13-14 December 2013, Kazan hosted the inter-regional conference The Contractual System in Purchases of Goods, Work and Services to Provide for Public and Municipal Needs.
The conference was held by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation together with the office of the authorised representative of the Russian Federation President in the Volga Federal District, with the support of the Russian Finance Ministry and the leadership of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The conference was addressed by Veronica Dzhuzhoma, head of the legislative reform department of the Centre of Regional Programmes for Public and Municipal Management Improvement of IPAMM NRU HSE, who presented the report On results of a pilot project for testing separate institutions of the contractual system as part of preparations for entry into force of Federal Law No. 44-FZ.
RIA in Lipetsk Region
On 21 November, under the support of the Administration of Lipetsk Region, the Lipetsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry, together with the RIA Centre of the Higher School of Economics (Moscow) held the second in-depth workshop for department heads in regional and municipal administrations, heads of regional and municipal administrations on the subject: “Development of the Institution of RIA (Regulatory Impact Assessment) in Lipetsk Region”.
Discussing the development prospects of control and supervision activity
The Control and Supervision Committee of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs has held an international conference, devoted to discussion of topical issues related to development of control and supervision activity. A report was presented at the conference by the Committee of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and the Higher School of Economics, named Control and Supervision Activity in Russia - 2012, together with a concept, devised by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, for enhancing effectiveness of the control and supervision activity of government agencies and local authorities for 2014 - 2018. President of the RUIE Alexander Shokhin welcomed the participants with an opening address.
The conference was hosted by IPAMM Director Andrey Klimenko.
In November-December 2013, IPAMM to implement a qualification enhancement programme on the topic of Regulatory Impact Assessment
В соответствии с Указом Президента РФ от 7 мая 2012 г. № 601 «Об основных направлениях совершенствования системы государственного управления» развитие на региональном уровне процедур оценки регулирующего воздействия (далее - ОРВ) в настоящее время закреплено законодательно - принят Федеральный закон от 2 июля 2013 г. № 176-ФЗ "О внесении изменений в Федеральный закон "Об общих принципах организации законодательных (представительных) и исполнительных органов государственной власти субъектов Российской Федерации" и статьи 7 и 46 Федерального закона "Об общих принципах организации местного самоуправления в Российской Федерации" по вопросам оценки регулирующего воздействия проектов нормативных правовых актов и экспертизы нормативных правовых актов".
Government buyers trained in the contracts system
Participants of the seminar held on 7 October at the Higher School of Economics on introduction of the contracts system believe that the law on the contracts system significantly complicates the duties of the government or municipal buyer. The rules of Law No. 44-FZ, which becomes effective from 1 January next year, imposes the responsibility on the buyer to officially observe all procurement procedures and also for the end result of such procurement.
RIA in St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region
On 5 September St Petersburg hosted a workshop titled Development of the institution of RIA in St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, which was attended by representatives of the regional authorities and business associations of St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. Director of the RIA Centre at IPAMM NRU HSE Daniil TSYGANKOV addressed the workshop, paying particular attention to the fact that the Higher School of Economics now offers a full-fledged distance learning course in RIA (72 hours), to run from 23 September until 4 November 2013, and which will issue a state-endorsed certificate upon completion.