ILO Public Procurement Manual

This Manual is the product of joint collaboration between OECD/SIGMA and ILO/Turin Training Centre. It is intended as a reference/working document targeted at public procurement practitioners and aims at presenting the principles of internationally accepted public procurement regimes (with reference to UNCITRAL, WTO/GATT, EU and IFI procurement regulations/directives) in addition to imparting the business skills required for the successful implementation of the procurement process (pre- and post-award phases).

It covers the procurement of goods, construction works and services and is sub-divided into three sections as follows: Section I: Generic principles of public procurement and typical institutional framework; Section II: Managing the procurement process; Section III: Contract administration and related implementation instruments.

In May 1994 the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin hosted a meeting of procurement specialists from the European Union (EU)/DG-XV, World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the SIGMA Programme. The aim of the meeting was to compare views on future public procurement training needs in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) and to co-ordinate the approach of these institutions to meeting the needs. It was agreed that efforts should be made to develop generic training materials and courses which could be then adapted as required for specific country needs.

In December 1994, a workshop in Brussels was organised by SIGMA in collaboration with EU/DG-XV and EU/Phare to which were invited procurement specialists from all CEECs. The conclusions of the Turin meeting were presented to the workshop and, based on the recommendations of the CEEC representatives at that time, SIGMA and ILO/Turin agreed to collaborate in the development of this Manual.

The Manual was conceived as the first step in a broader project for human resource development in the public procurement domain using a "training of trainers" approach. In defining their joint project, SIGMA and ILO/Turin agreed that the Manual would be developed to serve a dual purpose: to provide a basic guide immediately usable by practitioners upon its completion with national materials and to provide the foundation for design of the teaching materials for a training of trainers course.

In support of the first of those goals, SIGMA has produced and distributed a number of copies of the Manual to each country, recommending it to be supplemented, translated and distributed to practitioners. In June 1996 SIGMA sponsored a workshop for the CEEC procurement specialists, with ILO/Turin support, at which guidance ws provided for the completion of the Manual with national supplements and the methodology for developing national training strategies was introduced. ILO/Turin will seek donor support to proceed with development of teaching material for a training of trainers course based on the Manual.