Experts bat for national procurement policy

Experts on Thursday stressed the need to have a permanent National Public Procurement Policy (NPPP) in place to govern the public procurement market in India.

"It is important to have an NPPP in place to make the procurement process predictable, transparent, consistent accountable and competitive," said Archana Jatkar, head, Center for International Trade, Economics and Environment, CUTs International (Consumer Unity and Trust Society).

Jatkar was speaking during the "Stakeholders Consultation Meeting on - Public Procurement - Need for a National Policy in India", organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry in association with CUTS International and the British High Commission at PHD House here.

She informed that a Public Procurement Bill was tabled in the lower house of Parliament, which lapsed with dissolution of the house after the 2014 general election.

The consultation meet was organised to increase the level of awareness among the relevant stakeholder groups about the benefits which could be obtained through judicious use of public expenditure and the use of public procurement as a socio-economic development tool.

Stating that each department follows multiple guidelines coupled with their own for procurement leading to a failure of the institutional framework to provide transparency, accountability, efficiency, competition and professionalism, Jatkar said, "It becomes all the more important to have an NPPP in place for judicious use of public expenditure, leading to achievement of socio-economic development goals, enhancing participation of SMEs, besides moving to green procurement and sustainable procurement."

Advocating the need for a NPPP, Dalip Sharma, Director, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "Any procurement policy coming up should be coherent with other macroeconomic policies like manufacturing policy, sustainable procurement and trade policy."

"The procurement process in India should aim at stimulating local manufacturing capacities and employment, promoting competition in the marketplace, adhering to good fiscal practices and promoting sustainable production and consumption practices," added Sharma.

The public procurement market in India is approximately 29 per cent of its gross domestic product, which is almost $300 billion annually.