Use of Country Procurement Systems

Consultation with the Joint Venture for Procurement 1

Copenhagen, Denmark
September 20, 2007
The World Bank took the opportunity of the meeting2 that was held by the Joint Venture for
Procurement during September 19-21, 2007 to present the methodology for the Use of Country
Procurement Systems on September 20th, 2007. The participants included procurement professionals
from most aid agencies worldwide including multilateral and bilateral donors, the UN and
representatives from 25 client countries (see attached list of participants). Comments and feedback
received have been summarized around the six issues posted on the website.
1. The World Bank has proposed a detailed methodology for a procurement country system
piloting program in 8-10 countries. What remaining questions need to be addressed or
clarified about this program?
The participants wanted to know how the methodology proposed by the Bank fits in with the work
being done in the context of harmonization under the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Some
believed that the Bank is moving separately because there was not a consensus with other donors
on a common practice/methodology to move towards country systems.
The Bank explained that there is no discrepancy with the work being done under the Paris
Declaration on Aid Effectiveness but that it defined a methodology to determine the risk it is
willing to take and explained further that risks will be different for different institutions/aid
agencies. Therefore there cannot be one set of criteria for all; each aid agency will have to set its
own criteria in line with the risks it is willing to take.
Some of the participants also wanted to know how, and if, the harmonization of procedures being
done at the regional levels (West Africa, WAEMU and ECOWAS) will contribute towards moving
forward to the use of country systems.
The Bank explained that all procurement reforms being carried out presently will continue and will
contribute to increased use of country procurement systems. A large part of the current proposed
methodology is intended to increase the effectiveness of capacity development activities and to
coordinate donor support.
Some of the participants wanted to know the level of coordination with other donors and if the
Banks consultations would be with Part I countries mostly.
The Bank explained that the second set of consultations would include regional consultations with
Part II Countries, and that the present group of participants in the Joint Venture for Procurement
meeting includes both multilateral and bilateral donors as well as recipient countries. In addition,
1

The JV for Procurement was established to follow up on procurement in the implementation of the Paris Aid for
Effectiveness.
2

The main objective of the meeting was to assess the experiences and share the lessons learned to date on the use of the
OECD-DAC methodology for assessing the quality of public procurement systems.

the Bank will make a presentation at the next MDB HOP (Heads of Procurement) meeting to be
held in Tunis in late October.
Some participants were not clear as to how the pilot countries would be selected, what should
countries do to be included in the process? They asked what would happen if more than 8-10
countries pass the selection criteria. Others wanted to see a more multi-donor approach in this
selection.
The Bank reiterated the methodology proposed for the selection of the pilot countries and
explained that there is not a set number of countries that would be selected. The Bank will go
ahead with those countries that pass the selection criteria and express an interest to use country
systems. As for the multi-donor approach, we encourage involvement of all donors active in a
country and feel that this provides an opportunity for increased coordination.
Some participants wanted to know how long the pilot projects would last and the costs associated
with the projects.
The Bank explained that the pilot projects would be selected from projects already in the CAS and
pipeline. The preparation of the projects will depend on the nature of the projects and the pilots
will last as long as it takes to execute the projects.
2. The OECD/DAC benchmarking index provides for scoring of 54 sub-indicators on a 0-3 scale
with a score of 3 representing best practice. 30 of 54 sub-indicators in the OECD/DAC tool
have been identified as critical and require achieving the highest score of 3 for 22 of the subindicators or a score of 2 with an agreed action plan for 8 of the sub-indicators. Is this
achievement level appropriate and if not, why?
Some participants believed that countries will not be able to achieve the level of performance
defined in the methodology. They asked whether it would be feasible for the Bank to consider
partial achievement with thresholds below which use of country systems, acceptable to the Bank,
would be allowed and a raising of these thresholds over time based on an improvement of the
countrys system following regular monitoring of its performance.
The Bank explained that for procurement, it would be difficult for any country to qualify across the
board at the country level i.e. for all sectors and public agencies and it is the reason why the
assessment will be carried out at three levels: there will be a first selection of a pool of potential
countries based on general procurement and performance track record of the country, then an
assessment of the quality of the public procurement system at the national level based on the
OECD/DAC benchmarking tool, and how such system meets a test of equivalence with Bank
policies, and thirdly an assessment of risks, capacity, and the performance of the implementing
agency at the sector/project level. The procurement pilots will be by sector/project rather than by
country. In addition, if the country is not close to achieving the level of performance, there would
be a joint development of an action plan for capacity building.
3. Under this proposal, not all procurement would be included in these pilots. Should the Bank
include complex, high value procurement such as those [e.g. highway construction, power
generation equipment, information technology] now cleared by the Operations Procurement
Review Committee (OPRC) in the use of pilot country procurement systems?

The participants did not express any concerns or comments on the above issue but one may deduct,
by the overall comments, that they agree that it would be difficult to qualify countries for full use
of country systems in all areas of procurement. They suggested thresholds (to be reviewed
regularly based on performance monitoring) be applied to all procurement, namely: works, goods
and consultants based on the level of performance of the respective countries.
The Bank explained that this is the current procedure and explained that the new proposal would
be to exclude pre-identified specific processes for their complex, high value, or non-standard
characteristics.
4. Is the proposed handling of the Selection of Consultants in the pilots satisfactory? If not, how
can this be strengthened?
The participants did not raise issues with the proposed methodology for the selection of consultants
except as pointed out above.
5. Are the proposed performance based measures sufficient to address transparency, access to
information and governance and anticorruption issues (GAC) that have been raised with
regard to the pilots of country systems in procurement?
Some participants wanted to know if the Bank, in addition to the equivalence of procedures, the
CPAR and OEDC-DAC benchmarking tool, would take into consideration ongoing reforms that
would measure progress in performance from the time the CPAR was carried out.
The Bank explained that ongoing reforms will be part of the assessment of the performance level of
the country and they are also an indication of the countrys commitment to have and maintain a
transparent and efficient system.
6. Do you have other suggestions that will strengthen the World Bank Group's efforts to help
countries improve their procurement systems and help us learn from these pilots?
The participants wanted harmonization among donors, in the use of indicators. They wanted the
JV to modify its methodology in the future using feedback in from JV pilot countries that have
used the OECD-DAC benchmarking tool. They wanted some sort of agreement on a mechanism to
deal with disagreement in the validation process of the assessment of the quality of the national
procurement systems.
The Bank participates as a member of the JV for Procurement and in this regard, intends to take
suggestions and comments provided by participants into consideration. As mentioned above,
harmonization among multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors would be essential.
Overall Conclusion
As the participants are currently involved in the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid
Effectiveness and are familiar and/or have used the tools that the methodology proposes to use in
selecting pilots, their concerns and comments were not so much on the methodology itself but rather
on the need to see all donors work together. The overall consensus, at the end of the meeting, was that
the Bank has taken a major step in the right direction but that other donors need to follow suit in order

to harmonize the efforts in the area of reforms, use of country systems as was intended under the Paris
Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.

Participant List for the Second Meeting of the DAC Joint Venture for Procurement in Copenhagen,
Sep. 19-21, 2007
Country/Organization

Name

Title

EMAIL

AfDB

Reginald Sherman

r.sherman@afdb.org

AsDB

Robert Rothery

Procurement Specialist
Principal Procurement
Specialist, Central
Operations Services
Office

Australia/AUSAID

John Rawden

Australia/AUSAID
Bangladesh/CPTU/IMED
Bangladesh/CPTU/IMED
Bangladesh/CPTU/IMED

Matthew Fehre
Mr. AKM Fazlul Karim
Sk. A.K. Motahar Hossain
Sheikh Nazrul Islam

Belgium

Bjorn Demeulenaere

Benin

Aristide Djossou

Procurement
Diagnostics Advisor
Director Procurement
Policy
DG
Secretary
Director
Legal Advisor Belgium
Technical Coop.
Assistant du
Coordinateur de la
Cellule du SuiviEvaluation

Botswana/PPADB

Idah Marumo

Manager - Procurement

immarumo@ppadb.co.bw

Botswana/PPADB

Ken Ketshajwang

Manager - Procurement

kketshajwang@ppadb.co.bw

Burkina Faso
Canada

Alexis Balema Nagalo

Diana Viljoen

Direction Centrale, Min.

Des Finances
Senior Policy Analyst

Canada
Canada

Frederique LaLiberte
Davide Pisanu

Sr. Contracts Officer

Counsel

nagalexbalimo@yahoo.fr
diana_viljoen@acdi-cida.gc.ca
frederique_laliberte@acdicida.gc.ca
davide_pisanu@acdi-cida.gc.ca

Canada
Cape Verde
Cape Verde

Jocelyn Comtois
Leonesa Fortes
Antonio Duarte

DG Contracting
Management Division

jocelynjean_comtois@acdicida.gc.ca

Consultant

aduarte@ine.gov.cv

Chile

Andres Ruiz

Chile

Adolfo Diaz

Consultant
Consultant/Ramboll
Consultant/Ramboll
European

Rita Roos
Marie Louise Refsgaard
Mette Lassesen
Mr Paul Verwimp

Lawyer, Procurement
and Contracting Bureau
Administrative Officer,
Procurement and
Contracting Bureau
Senior Procurement
Consultant
Consultant
Consultant
Legal Officer

rrothery@adb.org
JGR@PANDS.ORG
matthew.fehre@ausaid.gov.au
karim@cptu.gov.bd
Skmotahar53@yahoo.com
nazrul2000@hotmail.com
bjorn.demeulenaere@btcctb.or
g

aristid_djos@yahoo.fr

andres.ruiz@chilecompra.cl
adolfo.diaz@chilecompra.cl
RitaRoos@gmx.net
malr@r-m.com
msl@r-m.com
paul.verwimp@ec.europa.eu

Commission/EuropeAid
Finland
France/Embassy
Copenhagen

Vesa Leino

vesa.leino@formin.fi

Philippe Martinez

Germany/GTZ

Ella Schieber

Germany/GTZ
Germany/KfW

Karl-Heinz Wscher
Wolf-Rainer Kruska

Ghana/PPA

AB Adjei

Ghana/PPA

Eric Victor Appiah

Indonesia
Indonesia

Sugijanti Sugiono
Setya Budi Arijanta

Indonesia

Syahrial Loetan

Indonesia
Indonesia

Agus Rahardjo
Sarah Sadiqa
Dwi Wahyuni
Kartianingsih

Indonesia
Inter American
Development Bank
Inter American
Development Bank
Ireland/IrishAid

Adviser/Dep. For
Development Policy

Sabine Engelhard
Tomas Socias
Orla O'Flanagan

Japan/JBIC

Shigeo Nakagawa

Kenya

Robert Hunja

Lao PDR

Mr Thone
Phonephachanh

Lao PDR

Sila Viengkeo

Lao PDR

Dathsadachanh Xayaphet

Malawi
Malawi/ODPP

Ipyana Mwabumba
Bright Mangulama

Head of Division,
Contracting,
Procurement and
Logistics
Public Procurement
Systems, Procurement
Management
Procurement Manager
CEO of Pub.
Procurement Board in
Ministry of Fin. And
Eco. Plan.
Director of Pub.
Procurement Board in
Ministry of Fin. And
Eco. Plan.
Indonesian Embassy in
Copenhagen
Procurement specialist
Executive Secretary of
Ministry of
Development Planning
Head of Centre Public
Procurement
Procurement specialist

ella.schieber@gtz.de
Karl-Heinz.Waescher@gtz.de
wolf-rainer.kruska@kfw.de

abadjei@yahoo.com.uk

eric.appiah@ppaghana.org
ekonomi@kbricph.dk
sbarianta@plasa.com
syahrial@bappenas.go.id
rahardjo@bappenas.go.id
sarah@bappenas.go.id

Procurement specialist
Chief Procurement
Specialist

dwi.wk@bappenas.go.id

Procurement Specialist
Procurement Officer
Advisor, Procurement
Policy and Supervision
Division
Chief Procurement
Advisor, Min. of
Finance
Dir. Procurement and
Monitoring/Min. Of
Finance
Ministry of Finance,
Deputy Director
General
Committee for Planning
and Investment
Principal Monitoring
Officer, Office Pub.
Procurement
Director Office Pub.

tomass@iadb.org
orla.oflanagan@dfa.ie

sabinee@iadb.org

s-nakagawa@jbic.go.jp
rhunja@treasury.go.ke
thone_2004@yahoo.com
sila_viengkeo@yahoo.com
dxayaphet@yahoo.com
dmwabumba@odpp.gov.mw
odpp@malawi.net

Moldova

Ms. Lucretia Ciurea

Mongolia

Bolorchimeg Bor

Mongolia

Gantsogt Khurelbaatar

Mozambique

Benjamim Uate

Niger

M. Wassalk Boukari

Niger
Norway/Norad

M. Mahamadou Halidou
Tore Selvig

OECD

Elodie Beth

OECD

Micheal Lawrance

OECD

Kjerstin Andreasen

OECD

Nicola Ehlermann Cache

Paraguay

Jorge Zarate Leiva

Paraguay
Peru/APCI

Juan Rejalaja Qunonez

Roddy- Rivas-Llosa M.

Philippines

Ms. Aida Carpentero

Philippines
Poland/Ministry of
Finance
Royal Danish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
Royal Danish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
Rwanda

Ms. Ruby U. Alvarez

Rwanda
SIDA

Silas Nsengiyumva
Pernilla Gertell

South Africa

Henry Malinga

Sri Lanka/NPA
Sri Lanka/NPA

Daya Liyanage
Gamini Rathnayake

Konrad Masztal
Mogens Strunge Larsen
Stine Jrgensen
Augustus Seminega

Procurement
Head of Section
Procurement
Monitoring and Auditing
Expert, Procurement
Policy Coordination
Department, Ministry of
Finance
Director General,
Procurement Policy
Coord. Dept., Ministry
of Finance
Economist, UFSA MOF
Sec Exc Agence de
Rgulation des
Marchs Publics
Dir. Des Appuis
Techniques, ARMP
Sr. Advisor
Administrator
(Integrity), GOV/IID
Procurement Advisor
DCD/EFF
Project
Coordinator/DCD/EFF
Policy
Analyst/DAF/ACD
Coordinator Official
Contracts
DG
Director of Policies
Procurement Director,
Dept. Of Education
Exec. Dir., Govt.
Procurement Policy
Board-Tech. Supp.
Office (GPPB-TSO)

lucretia.ciurea@gov.mol

bolorchimeg_bor@yahoo.com

gantsogt@gmail.com
benjuate@yahoo.com
armp@intnet.ne
tsg@norad.no
elodie.beth@oecd.org
micheal.lawrance@oecd.org
kjerstin.andreasen@oecd.org
nicola.ehlermanncache@oecd.org
normas@contrataciones.gov.py
direccion@contrataciones.gov.p
y
rrivas@apci.gob.pe
ancarpentero@yahoo.com

gppbtso@yahoo.com.

Chief Specialist
Chief Advisor/Head of
Contracts Secretariat

konrad.misztal@mofnet.gov.pl

Trainee
Executive Secretary
Director of Monitoring
Unit
Procurement Adviser
Chief Director, Supply
Chain Policy, National
Treasury
CEO National
Procurement Agency
Senior Manager

stijor@um.dk
aseminega@ntb.gov.rw

moglar@um.dk

silasns@ntb.gov.rw
pernilla.gertell@sida.se
henry.malinga@treasury.gov.za
ceo@npa.gov.lk
gamini@npa.gov.lk

Sri Lanka/NPA

Ivan Tissera

Tanzania/PPRA

Ayubu Kasuwi

Tanzania/PPRA

Mary Swai

Tanzania/PPRA

Ramadhan Mlinga

Uganda
UK/DFID
UNDP

Edgar Agaba
Robert Hyland
Torben Soll

UNDP
UNDP
UNICEF
UNICEF
USA/Millenium Challenge
Cooperation

Kirsten Ejlskov-Jensen
Ulrich Jnen
Abiye Dejafie
Rudolf Schwenk

USA/USAID

Bill Buckhold

Vietnam
Vietnam

Mr Nguyen Quang Huan

Ms Nguyen Thi Dieu
Phuong

World Bank

Bernard Becq

World Bank
World Bank

Pamela Bigart
Barbara Louise Bech

World Bank

Enzo de Laurentiis

World Bank

V.S. Krishnakumar

World Bank

Els Hinderdael

World Bank
World Bank

Dimitri De Pues
Simon Chirwa

World Bank

Asha Ayoung

World Bank

Cecilia Vales

World Bank
Yemen

Joel Turkewitz
Nabil A Shaiban

Jeanmarie Meyer

(Monitoring) NPA
Director/Capacity
Building, Research &
Development, NPA
Director of Monitoring
and Compliance
Manager of Research
and Documentation
CEO of the Public
Procurement
Regulatory Auth.
ED Pub. Procure. and
Disposal of Pub. Assets
Authority
Policy Advisor

ivan@npa.gov.lk
ayubu.kasuwi@ppra.go.tz
mary.swai@ppra.go.tz/mswai@
hotmail.com
ceo@ppra.go.tz
eagaba@ppda.go.ug
r-hyland@dfid.gov.uk

Procurement Capacity
Development Advisor
Coordinator
Contracts Officer
Chief, Country Support

kirsten.jensen@undp.dk/kirsten.
ejlskov-jensen@undp.org
ulrich.janen@undp.dk
adejafie@unicef.org
rschwenk@unicef.org

Senior Director
Assistant General
Counsel, Office of
General Counsel
Ministry of Planning
and Investment
Depart. of Management
for Public Procurement
Chief Procurement
Policy Officer, Head of
Procurement Policy and
Services Sector
Lead Procurement
Specialist in
Procurement Policy and
Services Group
JPO
Regional Procurement
Manager
Regional Procurement
Manager
Regional Procurement
Manager
Public Procurement
Consultant
Procurement Specialist
Lead Procurement
Specialist
Lead Procurement
Specialist
Procurement Reform
Coordinator, SARPS
Head Aid

meyerjm@mcc.gov
w.buckhold@usaid.gov
huan@mpi.gov.vn
dieuphuong@mpi.gov.vn

bbecq@worlbank.org

pbigart@worldbank.org
bbech@worldbank.org
elaurentiis@worldbank.org
vkrishnakumar@worldbank.org
ehinderdael@worldbank.org
ddepues@worldbank.org
schirwa@worldbank.org
aayoung@worldbank.org
evales@worldbank.org
jturkewitz@worldbank.org
nshaiban@gmail.com

Yemen

Yehya Al-Ashwal

Zambia

James Njolomba

Zambia

Mannas K. Simwanza

Harmonization
Alignment
Head of Procurement
Director, Inspection
Director, Purchasing
Goods and services

yehyaa@yahoo.com
njolombaj@tenderboard.gov.zm
Simwanza_m@tenderboard.gov
.zm