Public Procurement Training Manual

 

In December 2007, an Expert Group set up by the Regional School for Public Administration (ReSPA) and Sigma submitted a report on public procurement training for beneficiaries of the Instrument for pre-accession assistance (IPA).

The report proposed a 3-year action plan to:

  • develop comprehensive training materials;
  • “localise” the materials for each beneficiary country;
  • train and certify a group of trainers from the region;
  • monitor and support the initial trainers’ activities in their countries.

The European Commission asked Sigma to elaborate generic training materials that would first be used to train future trainers and then tailored to the specific situation of each country.

The result presented is a semi-final product, based on EC legislation and practice, that will need to be adapted to the local legislation and context of each beneficiary. The product is designed for training purposes and it provides several tools (case studies, exercises, tests) to be used in training classes. It intends to cover the totality of the public procurement process, from procurement planning and preparation to contract management and contract performance measurement, thereby going beyond the traditional focus on public procurement legislation.

This product follows the chronology of the whole procurement process and is organised around the topics that form procurement officers’ “reality” - it addresses questions that they face in their daily practice. It also contains a module for economic operators.

The training manual was prepared between January 2009 and February 2010.

In the beginning of 2010 the European Commission launched a tender for implementation of the training programme. The implementation in the region started in September 2010.

 

The following form the complete set of 8 modules contained in the public procurement training package:

Module A: Introduction and principles
Module B: Organisation at the level of contracting authorities
Module C: Preparation of procurement
Module D: Public procurement law – scope of application
Module E: Conducting the procurement process
Module F: Review and remedies; Combating corruption
Module G: Contract management
Module H: Public procurement for economic operators

 

For further information please contact Marian Lemke, Public Procurement Senior Advisor.