<p>SKOPJE, August 30, 2013 – Today, the Centre for Civil Communications published the monitoring results for public procurements implemented in Macedonia in the period January-March 2013. Key findings include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Macedonia is among a handful of countries in the world whose Law on      Public Procurement does not stipulate sanctions for violations made to      legal provisions in effect, despite numerous cases of violations      identified in the practice. This conclusion is based on the comparison of      Macedonian legislation with relevant laws adopted and implemented in 8      European countries. </li>
<li>From the monitored sample, every fourth public procurement contract      was signed in a tender procedure with only one bidding company. With the      lack of competition among companies, there are no guarantees that public      funds are spent for quality goods and services, and are offered at      favorable competitive prices. </li>
<li>Companies are denied the right to demonstrate past performance      acquired through joint ventures. According to the State Commission for      Public Procurement Appeals’ Assessment, companies may enter into joint      ventures in order to demonstrate relevant capacity for contract      performance, but not for the purpose of demonstrating past performance.      This implies another risk of high concentration of public procurement      performance among a small group of big companies. </li>
<li>Tender annulments are exceptionally high in number and account for      26.6%. </li>
<li>In the first quarter of 2013, funds in the amount of 11 million      Euros were contracted through negotiation without a prior announcement of      call for bids.</li>
</ul>
<p>This monitoring report is available <a href="images/stories/17_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>.</p>
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<p><strong>NOTE TO EDITORS:</strong></p>
<p>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 Centre for Civil Communications; Youth Educational Forum; Reactor - Research in Action; and Forum - Centre for Strategic Research and Documentation. 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>.</p>