<p><span style="font-size: small;">SKOPJE, 14 May 2013 – Today the Center for Civil Communications published findings from their monitoring of public procurement procedures in Macedonia for the period from October to December 2012.  Some of the key findings are:</span></p>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">Legally prescribed e-auctions were not conducted in 40% of the monitored sample. In addition, in one out of every four e-auctions that were conducted, the opening bid was not reduced from the starting price. Thus, the effect of budget savings was not realized in most of the procurements. This is a direct consequence of limiting tender competition by setting unreasonably burdensome bidding criteria for companies. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">The share of annulled tenders in the last three months of 2012 was very high: 23.4% at the national level. Over the past four years, the percentage of annulments was highest in 2012 at 24.2%, mainly due to the low number of bids received on tenders.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">In the fourth quarter of 2012, a total of 408 contracts were made in negotiated procedures without prior publication of a contract notice, with an approximate value of 22 million Euros. Annually, around 65 million Euros have been spent through this procedure. The main reason for the increasing number of such contracts, which has reached the highest level of the last four years, is the inability to schedule an e-auction due to insufficient competition. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">At the top of the ten largest public procurement contracts in 2012 is that of “ELEM,” the State company for production of electricity, in the amount of 53.3 million Euros for excavating coal and inter-layer spoil. </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">The monitoring report is available <a href="images/stories/16_eng.pdf">here</a>. For further information please contact the Centre for Civil Communications at (02) 3213-513 or at <a href="mailto:center@ccc.org.mk">center@ccc.org.mk</a>.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>NOTE TO EDITORS:</strong><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">The USAID Civil Society Project is a two and a half-year project financed by USAID and implemented by the Foundation Open Society - Macedonia in partnership with: the Center for Civil Communications; Youth Educational Forum; Reactor - Research in Action; and Forum - Center for Strategic Research and Documentation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">The American people, through USAID, have invested over $500 million in Macedonia since 1993. USAID is working with the people of Macedonia to create jobs, strengthen democratic institutions and practices, enhance integrated education, and prepare students for the workforce. These initiatives improve the quality of life and support Macedonia’s transition to a stable and prosperous democracy. USAID provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries. For more information please visit <a href="http://macedonia.usaid.gov">http://macedonia.usaid.gov</a> and USAID FB page <a href="http://www.facebook.com/USAIDMacedonia">http://www.facebook.com/USAIDMacedonia</a>.</span></p>