The concept and content of a digital platform dedicated to public procurement in the Repulic of Moldova was presented on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 during the fifth working session of the   Public Procurement Monitoring Coalition. The website was created within the project Increasing the Integrity of Public Procurement, implemented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiaties (IDIS) "Viitorul" in collaboration with Partnership for Transparency.    

Carolina Ungureanu, project coordinator and deputy director of IDIS "Viitorul", said that the need for a digital platform to monitor public procurement was evident based on several discussions with civil society actors. "We want it to be a resource both for civil society representatives interested in the field of public procurement and for citizens willing to find out      how public money is used. We want this online platform to be a useful tool for those involved in public procurement monitoring, who keep their finger on the pulse of public procurement in the Republic of Moldova. The platform will also include useful information for contracting authorities, economic operators, decision-makers and any other interested parties. It will serve as a centralized and trusted source of information and advocacy tool to enable the coordination and cooperation of stakeholders carrying out procurement monitoring activities." 

According to Pavel Novac, the representative of SensMedia, who built the website, the purpose of the online platform is to present to the public the situation in the field of public procurement, both what is happening in this market and to explain to ordinary people why public procurement should be in the public eye. 

Mariana Kalughin, representative of the Public Association "Transparency International Moldova", said that the website will have a significant impact because such a resource does not exist anymore ever since the Ministry of Finance took down the MTender platform. 

Ion Cornea, manager at a business consulting company, said about the interactive platform, "you can see that there is a great desire for such a resource in public procurement. Gathering so much information is an enormous amount of work.  The website will be successfuly if it is maintained and updated constantly."

Ala Revenco, president of the public organization "Parents in Solidarity", says that the website will respond to the needs of civil society in monitoring public procurement. "Unfortunately, what is being done at the government level leaves much to be desired, which is why we need to have our own monitoring tools to be more efficient."

Valeriu Rusu, executive director of the RDA "Habitat", said that as long as public procurement will be monitored and talked about on several online platforms,      public money is bound to be spent more efficiently.

During the meeting of the Public Procurement Monitoring Coalition, Silviu Plopa, public procurement monitor and member of the coalition, presented a dynamic analysis of the state of affairs in the public procurement sector in the Republic of Moldova, as well as red flags identified during the monitoring of the procurement procedure carried out by S.A. "Apă-Canal Chisinau" and RED-Nord for the purchase of photovoltaic system.

The Public Procurement Monitoring Coalition was created at the initiative of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", within the project Increasing the Integrity of Public Procurement in Moldova, implemented in collaboration with Partnership for Transparency. The coalition aims to support public procurement reforms in the Republic of Moldova. Over 20 civil society organizations, investigative journalists, experts and independent monitors from the Republic of Moldova are members of the Coalition.

So far, the Public Procurement Monitoring Coalition has held four meetings, where several topical issues in the field of public procurement have been discussed.

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The project Increasing the Integrity of Public Procurement is implemented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) Viitorul, in partnership with the American organization Partnership for Transparency. The project aims to support public procurement reforms in Moldova that will increase transparency and fairness in public procurement by empowering citizens to hold relevant institutions accountable.

IDIS Viitorul is an independent think tank established in 1993 that combines social, political and economic research with strong advocacy components. The institution conducts applied monitoring research in several areas: economics, social policy, EU policies, regional development, and security and foreign policy risks.

Partnership for Transparency (PTF) is based in Washington, DC and its mission is to promote innovative civil society-led approaches to improving governance, increasing transparency, promoting the rule of law, and reducing corruption in developing and emerging countries. Since 2000, PTF has supported over 250 projects aimed at promoting NGO involvement in decisions, processes, and laws that enforce transparency and accountability in public procurement.