World Bank Document

 

39. 

The efficiency of project implementation is impeded by cumbersome local procedures 

that require clearance from an Inter-Ministerial Bidding Commission (IMBC) at each stage of 

procurement (consisting pf 11 ministers headed by a Deputy Prime Minister) for procurements 

valued more than $1 million (increased to $5 million in September 2015) and price verification 

and registration of contracts awarded to international bidders at the Ministry for Foreign Economic 

Relations, Investment and Trade (MFERIT).  

 

40. 

The procurement process from bid opening to start of contract implementation takes 

anywhere between 8 to 14 months against international good price of 4 to 6 months. The delays 

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Completion and Learning Review 

 

47 

 

are mainly due to inefficient functionality of the IMBC and MEFRIT. The procurement process 

leads to lack of accountability for procurement and project implementation by line ministries and 

PIUs as IMBC clears at each stage. In spite of the local regulations requiring that MEFRIT 

registration shall be completed within 10 working days, the registration process is protracted (up 

to 3-8 months) and involve price verification practice which is contradictory to the WB 

Procurement Guidelines. For the last three years the Bank has been monitoring procurement delays 

and, in particular, time lags between no-objection for contract award and start of contract 

implementation. Thus, a number of notices for potential mis-procurement were issued and 

misprocurement of two large contracts were declared.