On 25 September 2007, a discussion on the subject of public procurement was organised by the BiH Public Procurement Agency, with assistance from the EC and Sigma.

The conference was an opportunity for participants to discuss the importance and challenges of the public procurement system in BiH and become acquainted with best practice in public procurement in the EU. The main objective of a public procurement system in any country is “value for money”, it should guarantee the efficiency of public expenditures.

Mr. Ferdinand Kopp, Head of Section for Justice and Home Affairs of the Delegation of the European Commission to BiH, stressed that EU public procurement legislation and practice provide good examples of a sound procurement system which is already implemented in twenty-seven Member States, as well as candidate and future candidate countries.

The ability to align legislation and to implement it is a requirement for any country that wishes to become part of a single market or economic space. With this in mind, it is especially important for BiH which will, hopefully, soon sign the SAA and ratify the CEFTA agreement.

Mr. Kopp added that BiH should start working on improving the current framework for public procurement simply because it will enhance discipline in spending public funds, a function that every administration should ensure.

Professor Martin Trybus of the University of Birmingham in the UK gave an overview of the main features of EU public procurement legislation and why such legislation is necessary.  He reviewed recent developments in public procurement and some foreseen for the near future, including two new Commission Directives which are currently being implemented.

Mr. Gheorghe Cazan, Director General of the Romanian National Authority for Public Procurement, shared the recent experiences and lessons learned in his country, which successfully underwent the process of bringing public procurement in line with EU legislation.

Mrs. Dinita Foco, Director of the Public Procurement Agency of BiH, and Mr. Amir Pilav, Chairman of the Procurement Review Body, presented the draft amendment to the Public Procurement Law in BiH.