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Preparing for a Post-Pandemic Future: Time to Rethink Procurement Practices?

Virtual Roundtable

The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving rapidly and has created demands for essential goods and services. During this unprecedented crisis, governments across Europe—and the world—are intensifying their efforts to support public health systems, safeguard the economy, and to ensure public order and safety.

The pandemic has raised many questions about the future of public procurement practices. Simplified procurement procedures, extreme time constraints, disrupted supply chains, increased competition, increased demand, reduced supply, among many variables, have all contributed to a complex procurement environment fraught with risk. It has highlighted the importance of sound policies, procedures, and systems of risk-management and accountability, particularly to ensure that essential goods and services are deployed to benefit those who need them the most. Additionally, a wave of corruption-related and financial crimes incidents linked to the current situation underscores the importance of continuing and strengthening transparency and accountability efforts throughout the region.

This Virtual Roundtable will serve as a forum for leaders from the government, private, and civil society sectors to share thoughts, experiences, and solutions for navigating the current and future procurement environment and proactively preparing for a post-pandemic era.

Panellists
  • Dr. Sandra Damijan, CFE, President ACFE Slovenia, Moderator 
  • Ameet Kabrawala, Resident Legal Advisor, U.S Department of Justice OPDAT, U.S. Embassy Belgrade, Serbia
  • Dr. Yuri Sidorovich, CFE, Partner, Forensic Leader Deloitte Adriatic Region
  • Davor Iljkic, MSc., President of the Institute for Compliance, Criminal Compliance and AML, Croatia
  • Dr. Predrag Jovanovic, Institute of Social Sciences, former Head of the Public Procurement Agency of Serbia 
  • Goran Krnaich, Resident Legal Advisor, U.S Department of Justice OPDAT, U.S. Embassy Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Đenan Salčin, Director, Public Procurement Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Zlatko Bazianec, Partner, Procurement Specialist, Deloitte Croatia
  • Maja Matic, CFE, Vice President ACFE Serbia
Discussion Points
  • What can governments can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially related to procurement?
  • Should the crisis allow for exceptions in procurement, and if so, what should they be?
  • How to deal with the “Closed Market” problem?
  • Can we expect increase of abuses and hidden agenda of certain stakeholders, and how should these risks be addressed, mitigated, and managed? 
  • What proactive steps can governments and the private sector do to mitigate risks, including risks of corruption and financial crime?
  • Is efficient good governance key in public procurement?
  • How do we go forward and be better prepared in “new normal”?
  • We encourage questions. Please feel free to use the chat feature to pose questions while others are speaking.

Date: June 4, 2020, 14.00 – 16.00 CET
Register at: VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE
Working language: English