Virtual exchange of experience on public procurement law

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Published: August 15, 2022

A first virtual exchange of experience on the topic of public procurement law and the lawful award of public contracts was held on 22 June 2022 in cooperation with the Jordanian Ministry of Justice.

The Jordanian Ministry of Justice has been working on reforming the legal framework of public procurement law since 2019. It informed IRZ of its significant need for counselling on this topic as early as 2021.

The event specifically addressed the communication of skills and competencies in the requirements of public procurement law and the award of public contracts. In the long term, this is intended to contribute to strengthening transparency in the social market economy structures.

On the Jordanian side, Ms Wafaa Sami Abu Zaid, Head of Department for Procurement Law at the Jordanian Ministry of Justice, reported on the current guidelines and processes in public procurement law. She also discussed the structural changes that have been implemented so far, as well as the monitoring system and emerging challenges.

An expert on public procurement law from the Higher Regional Court of Cologne took part in the seminar on behalf of IRZ and gave a talk on the public procurement procedure and the awarding of public contracts in Germany, the content of contracts between public authorities and private-sector companies and the connection between public procurement law and competition.

During the discussions, the participants established the differences and similarities between the German and Jordanian approaches in the area of public procurement law, giving special consideration to the legal framework and public procurement procedures. They also discussed aspects of drafting framework agreements and dealing with public tenders. There is a need to initiate sweeping reforms of procedures in Jordan and to improve overall transparency. The talk by the German expert was brought to a successful conclusion by suggestions and recommendations on methods to manage the procurement process.

The lively discussion and exchange of experience between all participants demonstrates the significant interest in this topic on the Jordanian side. IRZ therefore intends to continue and build on the cooperation in this field with the Jordanian Ministry of Justice.