Transparency in public procurement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Transparency in public procurement - Essay Example It is because of these lack of transparency in public procurement that corruption has acquired its definition in that it is defined as the use of public office for public gain, where this lack of transparency does not only contribute to the definition as there have been corruption cases in the private sector, as well. As such, the definition of corruption in public procurement has been perceived and surveyed by different agencies to look into the impacts. Transparency International states that bribery is the most common form of corruption emanating from multinational companies that then provide bribe money from the world’s richest nations in an attempt to clinch contracts meant for public procurement. ... This way, Tabish says that the bribe money that rich corporations pay to receive contracts are usually then factored in the total cost of the contract, which she perceives to mean that the contract or the entire project will cost more than the earlier mentioned price of service and product procurement. She continues to state that the consequence of the lack of transparency is usually more than the bribe received by corrupt individuals seeking to benefit themselves as it all trickles down to the same person that received the bribe. This way, Tabish continues to highlight the price of lack of transparency and how it comes into being discarded by mentioning that cultural norms, ethics and accountability contribute greatly towards transparency or lack of it public procurement.3 As such, it is said that corruption or beach of transparency can be achieved or carried out at any stage in a procurement process meaning that there is not a single phase or project that is safe from corruption. S tudies further indicate that lack of transparency was directly related to systems of functions that involve corruption and the ability to look into projects that have both quality and quantity at high levels.4 This was because, transparency to Tabish, is a clear and concise means to achieve a project free of irregularities at all phases, and even exempt it from manifestation. A special report on E-governance portrays a number of practices, as being the best in ensuring transparency in procurement, where turning all systems to digital and internet based is the way to go. The report quotes Korea as an example of promoting transparency in procurement, where certain conditions must be met prior to a contract award to a company in all of its qualifications or lack of them