Institute Alternative is conducting the project “Strengthening parliamentary oversight of public procurement system in Montenegro”, with the support of the Democracy Commission for Small Grants of the Embassy of the United States.
Parliament’s role in monitoring the implementation of the Law on Public Procurement is limited. Parliamentary committees do not discuss the annual reports of the Ministry of Finance in the part related to the public procurement, or the report on the work of the Public Procurement Directorate. The discussion in Parliament on the annual budget neglects the planning process of public procurement. Effective planning, management and control of the public procurement system are of great importance for further strengthening of parliamentary oversight mechanisms, especially because they are directly related to the fight against corruption and budget planning.
In the light of the above, the IA has launched a project aimed at strengthening parliamentary control of the public procurement system in Montenegro by capacity-building of the Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget for monitoring the implementation of the Public Procurement Law and other relevant regulations for public procurement procedures and for maintaining regular hearings on public procurement. A guide for parliamentary oversight of public procurement will be designed, as a part of achieving the defined aims of the project. The guide will be based on the best practices of public procurement procedures of the EU and neighboring countries, as well as on the criteria for effective monitoring.
Guide for effective parliamentary oversight of public procurement system will be designed in consultation with members of the Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget and other actors involved in the procedures, monitoring and control of public procurement (representatives of the Public Procurement Directorate, Ministry of Finance, the Committee on Anti-Corruption, State Audit institution, civil society organizations, etc.).
