Firms from the United States want to fight against corruption in public tenders in Slovakia and the Czech Republic and the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic was the first to announce that it plans to prepare an amendment to that country’s public procurement act, the Hospodarske Noviny daily reported.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia also confirmed its intention to devote attention to state tenders announced in Slovakia as well. AmCham Executive Director Jake Slegers told Hospodarske Noviny that improving public procurement is one of the priorities of the chamber in Slovakia. He said that as many as 75 percent of the foreign companies operating in Slovakia have complained about unfairness in public procurement.
The head of the Czech chamber, Weston Stacey, said that unfair practices in state tenders in the Czech Republic was the motivation behind preparation of an amendment. He said many American firms may win at home but have no chance abroad because Czech firms have the advantage of knowing the domestic surroundings and they are familiar with the Czech bureaucracy. The American chamber will propose that tender orders will be published on the internet and that journalists would be able to attend the opening of bid envelopes and meetings of any assessment commissions.
Slegers did not specify whether the Slovak initiative will be identical with the Czech one. In an AmCham survey conducted last year, foreign investors recommended that red tape on businesses be reduced, that hasty and non-systemic legislative changes should be curbed, and that various stakeholders should be more involved in preparation of new legislation. Hospodarske Noviny
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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