<p><a href="images/stories/pbinten.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Transparency is not sufficient to improve state-of-affairs in public procurements</strong></a><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></p>
<p><img src="images/stories/slpb2.jpg" border="0" width="323" height="448" /></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">Publication of more information and documents <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">related to tender procedures in the last several <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">years has contributed to increased transparency of <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">the system of public procurements in the country, <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">but this trend was not accompanied with improved <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">integrity and accountability of the institutions that <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">implement tender procedures. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">Hence, implementation of public procurements <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">in the country should be paid much greater attention; the capacity of entities implementing tender <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">procedures should be significantly improved; the <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">Bureau of Public Procurements (BPP) should be <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">enabled to perform its increased competences, <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">especially those related to control over implementation of tender procedure; the trend on taking <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">measures aimed to further improve transparency and openness of public procurements should <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">continue, with parallel emphasis on improving <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">other aspects of public procurements, such as accountability and integrity.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><span style="font-family: AvenirNextCyr-Light; font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>