Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2012
122. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he as a member of the World Bank, will raise key concerns to ensure procurement procedures will benefit developing countries with significant positive outcomes for local businesses. [53856/12]
View answerI welcome the decision by the World Bank earlier this year to review its procurement policy and practices. This first comprehensive root and branch review of its operations since 1964 forms part of the wider World Bank agenda for modernization to better respond to today’s complex set of development objectives. Ireland strongly supports the core principles of a modern procurement policy at the Bank: the need for economy and efficiency, the interest in ensuring that all eligible bidders have equal opportunity to compete, the desire to encourage the development of domestic industries and the importance of having a transparent procurement process.
World Bank procurement has changed significantly over recent decades from stand alone large infrastructure programmes to sector wide approaches and community based activities. The result is that supplying countries for Bank-financed operations are increasingly developing countries. A larger share of contracts awarded by international competitive bidding are now also won by companies in developing countries. This is good for local business in developing economies and is an indication of strengthening capacities in the private sector.
Ireland will actively engage with the World Bank in this ongoing review to ensure its procurement policies and practises are complimentary to the World Bank’s larger goal of improving development effectiveness by encouraging the use of country systems and harmonization, building competitive local industries, strengthening public sector management, improving governance and anticorruption, promoting sustainability, accelerating investment in infrastructure, and deepening international trade. We will work with the Bank to ensure the new guidelines pay greater attention to borrowing countries’ implementation capacity, and, where appropriate, include capacity building programmes to develop local procurement capacities, especially in fragile and conflict affected states.
