Improving Transparency and Effectiveness of Public Procurement in Ukraine

Improving Transparency and Effectiveness of Public Procurement in Ukraine through Cooperation with Civil Society is a program to train CSOs in Ukraine on how to monitor public procurement under the country’s new e-procurement system – “ProZorro.” The training will provide tools and present best practices for procurement monitoring internationally.

October 2016 until December 2019

Public procurement is a major item in state and local government budgets in Ukraine. There is considerable evidence that this procurement could be done more efficiently and more transparently to reduce the corruption that is plaguing the country.

A law enacted last year mandates the use of an e-procurement system – ProZorro – from municipal to national levels. The new system will make it easier for civil society organizations (CSOs) to monitor procurement in all of its phases, but training is necessary to enhance their ability to do so in an informed and responsible manner. Monitoring procurement requires technical knowledge of the procurement process as well as a good understanding of the legal and institutional environment in which procurement decisions are made.

PTF worked with the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) to implement a two-year program to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian CSOs to monitor public procurement of goods and services. It developed tools and provide training to help CSOs and journalists identify irregularities and bring evidence-based reports of abuse to the attention of the responsible authorities using information generated by the Prozorro system.

The program targeted CSOs and activists in all parts of Ukraine, especially outside of Kyiv, who are engaged in anti-corruption activities or monitoring public procurement transactions or who have interest and potential to develop expertise in monitoring public procurement transactions. It also supported journalists who work in areas related to corruption investigation or monitoring of public procurement.