Presentation by Vesna Gojkovic Milin, Serbia, at the regional conference organised by SIGMA on Public procurement review bodies, which took place in Ohrid, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on 9-10 June 2016.

1. © OECD
AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU
Regional Conference
for Public Procurement Review Bodies
in EU Enlargement Countries
Independence as Paradigm of
Protection of Rights
Vesna Gojkovic Milin,
Republic Commission for Protection of Rights in PPP, Serbia
9 – 10 June 2016, Ohrid

2. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• Republic Commission for Protection of Rights in Public Procurement
Procedures is an independent and autonomous institution of Republic
of Serbia providing protection of rights in public procurement
procedures, accountable to National Assembly. Republic Commission
submits annual report to National Assembly containing the elements
prescribed by Public Procurement Law – hereinafter: PPL
• It has the status of legal entity
• The assets to provide functioning of Republic Commission are
provided in the separate section of the budget of Republic of Serbia
(Article 138 of PPL)
• National Assembly appoints President and eight Members of Republic
Commission upon proposal of the responsible Committee and after
completed public competition procedure (Article 140 of PPL)
• Conditions for appointment are prescribed by Article 141 of PPL
• Republic Commission operates and decides in panels, at panel
sessions and general sessions, and ways of operating are regulated by
Article 146 of PPL and Rules of Procedures of Republic Commission
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3. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• The First Public Procurement Law predicted that throughout all of the
stages of public procurement procedure the protection of rights of
bidders and protection of public interest were to be provided by
Public Procurement Office via Commission for Protection of Rights of
Bidders, which was established within the Public Procurement Office
and whose President and Members were appointed by Government
upon proposal of Minister of Finance (Law was adopted in 2002, and
its Amendments in 2004).
• The assets for functioning of Commission were provided in the Budget
of Republic of Serbia in the section for Public Procurement Office and
Commission did not have the status of legal entity or the Service of its
own, and it was submitting the report on its work to the Government
and National Assembly.
• Republic Commission as an independent regulatory body conducting
activities related to protection of rights in public procurement
procedures and having the legal entity status, separate assets for its
functioning within separate Budget section and its own Service has
been established by Public Procurement Law in 2008 .
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4. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• Public Procurement Law from 2002 prescribed that President and Members of
Commission could not be Members of Parliament or councilors, could not perform
political and managerial duties, or other duties, services, jobs or functions that could
have impact on impartiality in work and performance or would diminish their
reputation or reputation of the position of Member or President of the Commission. As
a consequence to failure to comply to this provision, the removal from the office was
prescribed
• The term prescribed was four years, with the possibility of reappointment
• Public Procurement Law from2008 prescribed that President and Members of Republic
Commission can not perform any other public duty in accordance with the law
governing conflict of interest, can not perform any duty within political party, or
conduct any duty, service, job, function or activity that could have impact on their
impartiality in work and performance or would diminish their reputation or reputation
of the position of the Member or President of Republic Commission.
• As a consequence to failure to comply to this provision the removal from the office was
prescribed upon reasoned proposal of the Government, granting the right to give a
statement regarding reasons for removal from the office before National Assembly
• The term prescribed was five years, with the possibility of maximum one more
reappointment
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5. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• Article 144 of PPL prescribes that the President and/or Member of
Republic Commission may not perform any other public duty, hold any
function in a political party, or perform any other function, service,
work, duty or activity that might have impact on his/her
independence in work and performance, or that might decrease
his/her reputation or the reputation of the function of President or
Member of the Republic Commission.
• For the first time it is directly prescribed that President or Member of
Republic Commission can not decide in protection of rights procedure
if there are reasons to doubt their impartiality, or if they are in a
relation to one of the parties of the procedure, as explained in the
article 29 of PPL, defining participation in management, ownership of
more than 1% of shares with the bidder, business activities,
employment or any other business connection
• Parties can demand exclusion due to the above mentioned reasons,
and failure to comply to the above mentioned has removal from the
office as a consequence
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6. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• Two years after their duties as President and Members of Republic
Commission cease, they are not allowed to be hired by bidders that
were parties in the procedure in which President and Members
decided, if the estimated value of the public procurement in question
exceeded 250 million RSD for goods and services or 500 million RSD
for works.
• President and Members are appointed to a five-year period, and the
same person may be appointed maximum two times as President or
as a Member, provided that he or she has not been appointed
President previously.
• As of 2008 the unprofessional and negligent performance of their
activities is introduced as a reason for removal from the office of
President and Members of Republic Commission, without defining the
specific regulations regarding the procedure to establish
unprofessional and negligent performance .
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7. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• The term conflict of interest is seen as a situation in which an official
has a personal interest which influences, may influence or seems to
be influencing acting of the official in conducting of public or official
duty, in a way that endangers public interest, as well as term of
corruption as relationship based upon abuse of official and/or social
position or influence in public or private sector aimed at acquiring
personal gain or gain for somebody else, are defined by Law on Anti -
Corruption Agency.
• The provisions of this law are applied to the President and Members
of Republic Commission as officials appointed by National Assembly.
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8. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• According to the provisions of the mentioned Law, officials are obliged
to perform their public function in such a way that public interest is
never placed below private and to avoid creating the dependency
relations towards persons that could influence their impartiality in
performing of public function, and in the case such relationship can
not be avoided or already exists, they should do all that is necessary
for protection of public interest
• Officials can not use public function to acquire any gain or
convenience for themselves or persons to them related, nor can they
conduct any other work or activity while performing public function
activities that ask for full time engagement
• The exception, without the agreement of the Agency, may be
conducting of scientific and research activities, teaching activities,
cultural – artistic activities, humanitarian and sport activities,
provided these do not endanger impartial conducting or reputation of
public function. These exceptions understand the obligation to report
the income thus made
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9. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• The Agency may give the consent on submitted request to allow conducting
other works and activities, provided that positive opinion of the body that
appointed the official was submitted along with the request
• Upon taking the position, the official is obliged to inform his or her superior
and the Agency on the doubt that there is the conflict of interests regarding
the official or persons to him related
• If an official took part in adopting of a separate act and had to be excluded
due to the conflict of interests, the act is null, unless the official reported the
conflict of interests in accordance with this Law and if it was not possible to
appoint another person to take part in adoption of the said act
• In accordance with the provisions of this Law, the official is obliged to inform
the Agency immediately on forbidden influence the official is exposed to in
performing the function, and the Agency in turn immediately informs the
relevant institution so that the disciplinary, offence or criminal procedures are
initiated in accordance with the Law
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10. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• The responsibility of the President and Members of Republic
Commission is defined precisely with Public Procurement Law,
whereas organizational structure of Republic Commission is in line
with the authorities established by Public Procurement Law.
• Rules of Procedure establish in detail the ways of operating of
Republic Commission, determine rules of conducting and deciding in
cases presented to Republic Commission within its authorities
prescribed by Article 139 of Public Procurement Law, and regulate
other issues of importance for functioning and operating of Republic
Commission.
• The Civil Servants Law applied to the Service of Republic Commission
does not adequately regulate the conflict of interests issue
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11. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• Rules of Regulations of Republic Commission with regards to the acting upon
the cases regulate the following:
• Procedure of distribution of cases, conducted in such a way that at the end of
each distribution cycle all Members of Republic Commission have
approximately the same number of received cases, so that equal work load of
all the Members is provided and that it is not known in advance which
Member of Republic Commission will be given specific case
• When cases are received, first the existence of urgency is established, than
type of the procedure and complexity, and after that the cases are distributed
to the Members in accordance with the order in which the initial act has been
received and taking into consideration the alphabetical order of the surnames
of the Members of Republic Commission
• The ways to act with the cases when there is a conflict of interests as well as
exemption of Members of the Panel of Republic Commission is precisely
defined, and it has been established that President and Members of Republic
Commission can not act upon any case falling within the scope of
responsibilities of Republic Commission if there are reasons to doubt their
impartiality or pointing out to possibility of conflict of interest
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12. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• Republic Commission is completely independent in deciding on
submitted requests, and this independence is seen in the ways this
body is appointed, qualifications of its President and Members, as well
as in legal framework providing the independence in decision making
• The transparency in the activities is of great importance for this
status, and it is being achieved by
- Publishing of all the decisions made on Public Procurement Portal and
web page of Republic Commission
- Publishing of Information on Operations
- Publishing of Report on Work once it has been adopted by National
Assembly
- Delivering of relevant information to all the users registered on
mailing list of Republic Commission
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13. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• Practice has shown that the following is needed
- Further continuous training with special emphasis on issues of ethics
and integrity as prerequisites to recognize conflict of interest
situations,
- Further continuous experience sharing through international
cooperation and transfer of knowledge in the field of anti - corruption
activities,
- Further quality training of the employees aimed at achieving the level
of expertize and creation of reference practice as recognizable
positions of this institution regarding certain protection of rights
issues
- Bringing into line the salaries of the Members of Republic Commission
and the employees of its Service with the salaries in other
independent regulatory bodies, as prerequisite for financial
independence
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14. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• Extremely high level of independence and autonomous position of
Republic Commission with regards to the legal framework has been
achieved, which is obvious from the development of the system of
protection of rights through the amendments of Public Procurement
Law
• Impartiality in decision making and independence from any type of
influence is provided within satisfactory legal surrounding, and when
it comes to the operations level, above all it is provided through the
expertize and reliability of this body and its Service
• Improvement of position of Republic Commission and its positive
public recognizability is possible both through further
professionalization of officials’ work and work of Service of Republic
Commission similar to the work of courts, as well as through creation
of general social climate where all legal entities and citizens recognize
the particularity of independent regulatory bodies as free of political
and business influences and responsible only for full professionalism
of their work
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15. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
15
Cases that have been decided
(Requests for protection of rights)
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Rejected requests 246 262 351 526 561
Dismissed requests 103 83 81 125 94
Requests cancelled as a whole 242 361 369 424 327
Partially cancelled requests 348 364 540 912 866
Suspended procedure 31 23 51 50 55
Dismissed statement 90 89 96 1 0
Returned to the contracting
authority to act upon
1 0 0 0 0
Decided upon in another way 4 49 34 14 4
Adopted as based 0 0 0 0 3
TOTAL 1065 1231 1522 2052 1910

16. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU Independence as Paradigm of Protection of Rights
• Data regarding ways of deciding on requests for protection of rights in
the period between 2011 and 2015 are a good example of
professional and independent acting and impartiality of decision
making of Republic Commission, and they show that ratio between
adopted and cancelled requests is almost always the same, which at
the same time however shows that despite the experience of more
than a decade, there is still a need for education of contracting
authorities when it comes to conducting of public procurement
procedures
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Year Rejected requests Adopted requests
and cancelled
procedures
2011 23% 55 %
2012 21% 58%
2013 23% 59%
2014 25% 65%
2015 29% 62%

17. AjointinitiativeoftheOECDandtheEuropeanUnion,
principallyfinancedbytheEU
Thank you for attention
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