From modest beginnings in the early 1990's, a reform movement in the regulation of public procurement has mushroomed into a global imperative. Two fundamental values of international free trade policy value for money and the deterrence of corruption have brought intense scrutiny to bear on public procurement practices in nearly every country. Now international standards (notably those of the WTO and the EU) must be met if a trading nation is to take its place in the global markets.
This collection of essays offers fifteen distinct views on the current status and trends in public procurement and its various aspects. From general discussion of setup, overcoming obstacles, ensuring transparency, and compliance with international rules to specific issues raised in economies as diverse as Kosovo, China, and the United States, Public Procurement: The Continuing Revolution provides a great wealth of insight and information. Although the emphasis throughout is on legal issues, the contributors include not only lawyers but also economists and specialists in purchasing practice.
In addition, this is the first book to note the relatively recent trend, in developed countries, toward a less prescriptive, more flexible approach to regulation in which a degree of transparency is sacrificed. The question of how this trend will affect international procurement regimes is perhaps the most vital and interesting aspect of current theory and practice in the field.
Most of these essays were originally presented as papers at an international conference hosted by the Public Procurement Research Group at the University of Nottingham in September 2001.
Introduction, List of Editors and Contributors PART I ESTABLISHING AND
REFORMING PUBLIC PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS 1 Setting up a Public Procurement
System: The Six Step Method Cynthia Walker 2 Obstacles to Public
Procurement Reform in Developing Countries Robert R. Hunja 3 On
Globalization and Government Procurement Joshua I. Schwartz 4
The Establishment and Development of a Public Procurement System for Kosovo
Elisabetta Piselli 5 China’s Government Procurement Reform: From
the Bidding Law to the Government Procurement Law Fuguo Cao 6
Enforcement of Public Procurement Rules in China Jingbin Tian 7
The Experience of Centralised Enforcement in Poland Marian Lemke
PART II NEW PERSPECTIVES AND APPROACHES IN PROCUREMENT REGULATION 8
Commercial Purchasing: The Chasm between the United States Government’s
Evolving Policy and Practice Steven L. Schooner 9 Reforms in
Procurement Policy and Their Prospects Frank Anechiarico 10
Problems of Using Partnering and Similar Private Sector Practice in the Public
Sector Environment: The Example of PPPs/PFI Keith Hartley 11
Best Value – A New Approach in the UK Penny Badcoe PART III
THE REGULATION OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE 12 Home-biased
Government Procurement and International Trade: Descriptive Statistics, Theory
and Empirical Evidence Federico Trionfetti 13 The WTO
Transparency Agenda: Law, Economics and International Relations Theory John
Linarelli 14 Transparency in Government Procurement: What can We
Expect from International Trade Agreements? Simon J. Evenett and Bernard M.
Hoekman Index