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Centralized contract management in procurement and the implementation of public-private partnerships were the main topics discussed during a study visit to Lisbon, Portugal by Ukrainian government officials responsible for procurement oversight. The visit took place from March 12 to 14 with the support of the “EU Public Finance Management Support Programme for Ukraine (EU4PFM).”
The Ukrainian delegation included representatives from the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the State Audit Service of Ukraine, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Among the participants was Olena Biliachenko, a senior specialist of the Department for Economic Control (Audit) in the areas of economic and digital transformation, protection of economic competition, and state property management.
During the visit, Ukrainian officials met with representatives of the Portuguese Institute for Public Markets, Real Estate, and Construction, which oversees public procurement in Portugal. Discussions focused on the operation of the Portuguese national procurement system, including legal frameworks, the functioning of the electronic procurement portal, and the implementation of cross-cutting policies such as «green» and socially responsible procurement.
Representatives from the State Joint Procurement Service of the Ministry of Health of Portugal and the State Joint Procurement Service in Public Administration provided insights into the specifics of centralized procurement in healthcare and public administration. Key aspects highlighted included the importance of using analytical data on procurement and process standardization to enhance convenience for contracting authorities.
Representatives from Infraestruturas de Portugal responsible for managing Portugal’s transport infrastructure, and the government’s Public-Private Partnership unit (UTAP) shared their experience in implementing these projects. The discussions covered control mechanisms and financial planning that enable effective private capital involvement while maintaining public oversight.
The knowledge gained will assist the specialists of the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine in improving audit approaches related to public procurement system, including the analysis of the Ministry of Economy’s annual report on public procurement and oversight outcomes.
