Public procurement (PP) management is a cornerstone of good governance.

It cuts across all economic sectors and constitutes around 15-30% of the gross domestic product in all countries. Hence its significance for enhancing market competitiveness and sustainable development.

Setting up effective national PP systems has often been a challenge, not least because of a deficit in competent human resources and the need to keep up-to-date with the ever-increasing complexity of the legal framework, the globalization of markets, and sophisticated contractual and tendering mechanisms.

For two decades, the Centre has pioneered the development of competency-based procurement management training, in collaboration with the World Bank and the OECD. Training and learning modules have been jointly designed to cover all categories of procurement. They follow the World Bank’s procurement guidelines, the UNCITRAL model law and EU directives. In addition, training activities have been designed on financial management for development projects and on international financial reporting standards.

The Centre has also actively supported national procurement reform worldwide through assistance with the setting-up or modernization of the four pillars of effective national PP systems, namely:

i)    legal framework;

ii)    institutional framework;

iii)    administrative and managerial processes and systems, including bidding documents and training systems;

iv)    market competitiveness and systems for detection and prevention of fraud and corruption.

The Centre’s involvement in the procurement reform of Bangladesh (2002-2006) was awarded a “best practice” rating in an independent evaluation by the World Bank Institute.

Similarly, its involvement in creating teams of procurement trainers in the new Member States of the EU was acclaimed by the EC and the OECD. Its training materials for that project have been translated into all Eastern European languages.

The Centre has also been involved in the development of national certification schemes for procurement trainers and practitioners. These schemes are based on written examinations and performance assessment. For countries without such schemes, the Centre offers an academic certification scheme through a Master’s degree in public procurement management for sustainable development, which it runs in conjunction with the University of Turin.

Standard and tailor-made courses (offered at the client’s location or at our campus in Turin, in Arabic, English, Russian and French) include:

• Procurement management for equipment and works in World Bank-funded projects
• Works procurement management
• Procurement management in the public sector
• Financial management for development projects
• Advanced contract management
• Selection and recruitment of consultants in World Bank-funded projects (in English and Russian)
• Sustainable procurement: social, economic and environmental considerations in public procurement
• E-procurement
• Change management for public and private-sector institutions
• Public-private partnership policies: legal framework and competition requirements
• International procurement management (in Russian only)
• Introduction to international financial reporting standards (in Russian only)
• Training of trainers in public procurement.