Transcript OECD: Making public procurement SMEs friendly in the MENA countries

Making public procurement SMEs friendly
in the MENA countries
Olga Savran
OECD-MENA Investment Programme
20 September 2012, Caserta, Italy
SMEs in public procurement
• Great potential for development and growth
• Little involvement due to capacity constrains
- subcontractors and framework agreements
• High integrity risks – vulnerability to
solicitation, low capacity for integrity responses
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SMEs in MENA countries
• Important players in productivity growth,
innovation and job creation
– but slower growth in the MENA region
• Opportunities and obstacles for high
growth
– Regulatory environment, access to finance,
skills, other
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• MENA-OECD Investment Programme,
working group on SME policy discussed
various issues, high growth, enterprise
development, women entepreneruship
and other issues on job creation and other
avenues for SME development
• will develop country-specific policy
recommendations
• In this context government procurement
was mentioned
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Towards an action plan
• Clear policy objective, e.g. 10% target of
contracts awarded to SMEs
• Facilitate access to finance, e.g. 20% of total
financing needs for SME implemented projects
from grants, funds, guarantee schemes
• Simplify regulations, e.g. reduce the time spent
for PP procedures by 20 %
• Business support to train/inform SMEs, e.g.
about pp procedures, risks of corruption,
complaints mechanisms
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Involving stakeholders
• Listen to/talk to/study the practices of
SMEs
 From formalistic councils to open dialogue
 Continuous examination of progress
 Undue pressure from interest groups
 E-platforms; surveys; government capacity to
analyse, provide transparent information and
facilitate dialogue
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MENA-OECD Investment Programme
• Working Group on SME policy,
entrepreneurship and human capital
development
• MENA Business Integrity Network
– Regional exchange of experience, best
practices and benchmarking for business
representatives
– Private-public dialogue on practical measures
to promote integrity in public procurement
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Thank you for your attention
WWW.OECD.ORG/DAF/PSD
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