The Chamber of Commerce has issued 36 recommendations for greater efficiency and transparency in the public procurement process.
“There is an institute in place, but there needs to be more enforcement to ensure that bidders who break the law are blacklisted and that this institute is strengthened,” said Clement Mifsud Bonnici, senior associate at Ganado Advocates.
Speaking during the launch, Mifsud Bonnici who was appointed as technical advisor for the report, said the current system is inefficient, with poor enforcement when it comes to blacklisting and banning bidders who break laws.
The Commercial Standards Tribunal received only two complaints for blacklisting bidders in the past five years, he said.
Non-compliant operators should be blacklisted from public procurement, the Chamber of Commerce is proposing in a newly released document.
The proposal is one of 36 recommendations made in the report Public Procurement Reform that was published today.
The proposals also call for better regulation of direct orders awarded by government agencies.
Chamber President David Xuereb said the document builds on the report published last year on ethical business.
“The document serves as valuable guidance for the necessary reforms that are needed in order to ensure that economic operators are on a level playing field when tendering for government purchasing opportunities,” Xuereb said.