This book examines corruption in public procurement in three Member States of the EU, reviewing their different approaches to combating corruption, and the extent to which the transparency principle is applied in their procurement systems. The focus of the work is on the contrast between the unsuccessful procurement legislation of a relatively young Member State (Bulgaria) and its attempt to curb corruption by expanding the scope of application of the transparency principle, and two examples of procurement systems where corruption is limited adequately, without an excess of information procedural requirements (Germany and Austria). The book scrutinizes the transparency rules, procurement participants, and responsible institutions in the award of procurements in these countries. It discusses in detail the types of infringements involving corruption as well as their link to infringements of the transparency principle. It compares and examines the systems of control and appeal against a contracting authority's actions within the various legislative schemes, and highlights the legislative weaknesses which fail to reduce corruption. The comparative analysis between the Bulgarian public procurement system and the German and Austrian systems is carried out through detailed research not only with regard to adherence to the transparency principle, but also to the use of other mechanisms to limit corruption, insofar as these solutions are appropriate and could be adapted in other countries currently lacking sufficient anti-corruption measures.

Anti-corruption measures have firmly taken centre stage in the development agenda of international organisations as well as in developed and developing countries. One area in which corruption manifests itself is in public procurement and, as a result, States have adopted various measures to prevent and curb corruption in public procurement. One such mechanism for dealing with procurement corruption is to debar or disqualify corrupt suppliers from bidding for or otherwise obtaining government contracts. This book examines the issues and challenges raised by the debarment or disqualification of corrupt suppliers from public contracts. Implementing a disqualification mechanism in public procurement raises serious practical and conceptual difficulties, which are not always considered by legislative provisions on disqualification. Some of the problems that may arise from the use of disqualifications include determining whether a conviction for corruption ought to be a pre-requisite to disqualification, bearing in mind that corruption thrives in secret, resulting in a dearth of convictions. Another issue is determining how to balance the tension between granting adequate procedural safeguards to a supplier in disqualification proceedings and not delaying the procurement process. A further issue is determining the scope of the disqualification in the sense of determining whether it applies to firms, natural persons, subcontractors, subsidiaries or other persons related to the corrupt firm and whether disqualification will lead to the termination of existing contracts. The book compares and contrasts the legal, practical and institutional approaches to the implementation of the disqualification mechanism in the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Republic of South Africa and the World Bank.

This collection of essays on the reform of public procurement law and policy honours the contribution of Sue Arrowsmith as the leading scholar in the field. The book is divided into 3 main parts – on the UK, the EU, and the world – and focuses on central reform themes that have characterised the evolution of public procurement law and policy in the past decades. These include sustainability, complex contracts, review and remedies, electronic procurement, and defence procurement, as well as topics such as debarment, the overall development of EU procurement reform, the very nature of procurement law, or the regulation of UK procurement law after Brexit. The book also covers the dynamic reform process of the EU Procurement Directives and case law, the UNCITRAL Model Law on Procurement, the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, and national systems including the US, China, Africa, and the UK. The chapters are written by experts in specific topics of procurement reform from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe with backgrounds in academia, legal practice, and international organisations. The reader is provided with a diverse set of insights into the objectives, approaches, priorities, and future direction of public procurement reform.

The Routledge Handbook of Public Procurement Corruption showcases the most innovative and exciting research being conducted in this important area of study, providing a comprehensive go-to reference for all who are interested in the topic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the global race for health and ancillary goods amid global supply chain disruptions demonstrated that, when tested, all countries are incredibly vulnerable to fraud and corruption in public procurement, irrespective of their level of development. Yet despite the widespread nature of the problem, there remains a lack of in-depth, analytical, and cross-country investigations into public procurement corruption. This book addresses this gap by providing a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, geographically balanced treatise on corruption in public procurement. It combines country-specific studies to allow readers to easily compare differing perspectives and approaches and overarching thematic chapters to reflect on new and cutting-edge issues in procurement and their implications for procurement corruption. Key sectors such as healthcare and infrastructure are considered, as well as the role of new technologies, in both combatting and enabling procurement corruption. This Handbook provides academics, practitioners, and graduate researchers of public administration, law, and anti-corruption with all of the tools they need to understand the nuances of public procurement corruption around the world.

International Arbitration Law Library, Volume 65 International commercial arbitration is by no means free from bribery and corruption. Although a plethora of legal scholarship clearly affirms this contention, a thorough study on the particularly important question of the authority and duty of international commercial arbitrators to investigate a suspicion or indication of bribery or corruption sua sponte ¬– that is, on their own initiative – has been surprisingly lacking. This important book fills this gap, inter alia, by locating sua sponte authority in the position of arbitral tribunals in establishing the facts of a case and ascertaining and applying the applicable normative standards. In addition to providing a comprehensive examination of how the issue of bribery and corruption is dealt with in contemporary international commercial arbitration, the book also highlights the role of arbitrators in global efforts to combat transnational commercial bribery and corruption. Among others, the following critical issues are thoroughly investigated: arbitrability of issues of public interests; intermediary contracts; role of arbitrators in the fact-finding process; party autonomy versus overriding mandatory rules; iura novit curia in international commercial arbitration in the context of bribery and corruption; notion of transnational (or ‘truly international’) public policy; arbitrators’ duty to act as guardians of international commerce; investigative tools available to arbitrators; dealing with manifestly recalcitrant parties; possible consequences of violating the obligation to sua sponte investigate; and the view from developing countries. The analysis leans primarily on Swiss law, as Switzerland is one of the most important jurisdictions in international commercial arbitration; Switzerland has also been involved in some of the most famous and controversial arbitration cases wherein bribery and corruption became an issue. However, the study also includes a comparative analysis of the relevant laws, jurisprudence, and doctrine of other major arbitration venues, particularly England, France, and Germany. Not only in the light it sheds on how and whether international commercial arbitrators have hitherto justified the trust States have placed in them regarding the protection of the public interests but also in the practical solutions it offers arbitrators faced with issues of bribery and corruption, this deeply researched book equips arbitration practitioners and arbitration institutions with a hitherto lacking in-depth analysis on the question of sua sponte investigation. It also provides invaluable insights on how this issue might affect the future, legitimacy and expansion of this dispute settlement mechanism. Outside the field of arbitration, the book also provides jurists, legal scholars, in-house counsel for companies doing transnational business and public officials with highly enlightening perspectives on the interaction between international commercial arbitration and public interests.

'Corruption' in public procurement typically involves procurement decisions taken in favour of preferred bidders in exchange for improper compensation (the acceptance of bribes, for example), while supplier collusion refers to a type of cartel activity, in which firms rig their bids in a tendering process. Although these practices are distinct, they frequently occur together in the public procurement context, reinforcing one another. Combatting Corruption and Collusion in Public Procurement: A Challenge for Governments Worldwide examines the causes of corruption and collusion in the public procurement sphere, its resulting harm, and how states can best try to combat these practices. This book provides a legal, economic, and practical analysis of issues concerning corruption and supplier collusion in public procurement, both generally and in seven diverse and representative jurisdictions: the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Hungary and Poland, Ukraine, and Canada. It encompasses a discussion of both 'generic' cross-jurisdictional issues and specific proposals for individual jurisdictions. It offers practical guidance on building robust regimes for combatting corruption and collusion in public procurement and how to bolster and improve them when they are faltering. The book stresses the need for a multi-faceted and joined-up approach to the problems, emphasizing the importance both of enhanced investment in the effective enforcement of anti-corruption and cartel laws and of increasing the resilience of public procurement systems to corruption and collusion through a range of measures. The relevance of the topic to the social and economic well-being of citizens and the survival of democratic governance is highlighted throughout the book. Pioneering and comprehensive, Combatting Corruption and Collusion in Public Procurement provides a pathbreaking analysis of a range of global issues, making it an essential read for scholars, lawyers, government officials and representatives of international and non-governmental organizations around the world.

This collection of papers provides the key elements needed to build and preserve corruption-free institutions, systems, and private enterprises.

This volume comprises papers presented at the OECD Global Forum on Governance: Fighting Corruption and Promoting Integrity in Public Procurement held in Paris in November 2004.

This global encyclopedic work serves as a comprehensive collection of global scholarship regarding the vast fields of public administration, public policy, governance, and management. Written and edited by leading international scholars and practitioners, this exhaustive resource covers all areas of the above fields and their numerous subfields of study. In keeping with the multidisciplinary spirit of these fields and subfields, the entries make use of various theoretical, empirical, analytical, practical, and methodological bases of knowledge. Expanded and updated, the second edition includes over a thousand of new entries representing the most current research in public administration, public policy, governance, nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations, and management covering such important sub-areas as: 1. organization theory, behavior, change and development; 2. administrative theory and practice; 3. Bureaucracy; 4. public budgeting and financial management; 5. public economy and public management 6. public personnel administration and labor-management relations; 7. crisis and emergency management; 8. institutional theory and public administration; 9. law and regulations; 10. ethics and accountability; 11. public governance and private governance; 12. Nonprofit management and nongovernmental organizations; 13. Social, health, and environmental policy areas; 14. pandemic and crisis management; 15. administrative and governance reforms; 16. comparative public administration and governance; 17. globalization and international issues; 18. performance management; 19. geographical areas of the world with country-focused entries like Japan, China, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Russia and Eastern Europe, North America; and 20. a lot more. Relevant to professionals, experts, scholars, general readers, researchers, policy makers and manger, and students worldwide, this work will serve as the most viable global reference source for those looking for an introduction and advance knowledge to the field.