Transparency in government procurement

Salam and dear all, It has been reported that the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz has called for the government to make public tender awards. He made the suggestion in effort to introduce transparency, to combat corruption and therefore instill public confidence in the way in which the business of public sector procurement is conducted (see report in http://www.nst.com.my 30th July 2009). 1. I consider the suggestion made by the Minister is most appropriate. 2. In fact, some form of public notification on the processes of tendering in the public sector is currently being practiced. For example, posting tender advertisements in major newspapers, displaying a list of tenders received and opened immediately after the time but on the same day of closing of tender by the office calling the tender on their noticeboards, i.e. by listing the tendered prices in the order of the tenders being opened but without the names of the respective tenderers. 3. In some cases, and almost always in the case of open tenders for projects funded by the international funding agencies such as the World Bank, public opening of tenders is the norm. 4.In a typical public opening of a tender, the office calling the tender will announce the date, venue and time a tender is to be opened. Members of the public are allowed to observe the entire procedures of tender opening: opening the tender box, announcing names of tenderers, their tender prices and durations, bid bonds if any, etc. Students, the above notes, especially on transparency, combating corruption and public confidence in the procurement of public sector projects could form basis for your final year u/graduate dissertation projects. Interested students may see me for discussions. Wassalam.