Open meeting on Thursday, 19 February from 9:00 to 11:20.
Workshops with the government and state procurement bodies on 17 and 18 February
Location: Hotel Reykjavík Grand, Sigtúni 8, Reykjavík – Háteigur
On Thursday, 19 February, the Competition Authority, the Cabinet Office and the OECD are holding an open meeting on competition in public procurement and ways to open up markets and improve regulation.
Agenda:
8:30 – 9:00 Registration and coffee
9:00 – 9:15 Opening address – Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, Minister of Economic Affairs
9:20 – 9:40 Despina Pachnou, OECD expert, discusses competition in public procurement and how to prevent collusion.
9:40 – 10:00 Federica Maiorano, OECD experts, discuss the competitive assessment of government regulation and how it leads to increased efficiency, reduced regulatory burden and more open markets.
10:00 – 10:40 Panel I: The process in action
10:40 – 11:20 Panel II: The big picture
Chairperson: Eva Ómarsdóttir, Project and Team Manager at the Competition Authority.
UPDATE: In connection with the meetings, we had journalist Thorsteinn J. speak with three prominent individuals who are involved in these subjects from their respective fields.
You can register for the open meeting here – Registration
The meeting will present the Icelandic version of the OECD's recently published guidelines on combating collusion in tendering. The Icelandic version is available here. The OECD guidelines on the competitiveness assessment of government regulation will also be presented.
Presentations and Panel I will be held in English.
The meeting will be live-streamed.
Workshop on the Competitive Assessment of Government Regulation
On Tuesday, 17 February, from 9:00 to 14:30, managers and staff from ministries, the Althingi and other institutions involved in the drafting and enactment of regulations will be invited to attend a workshop on the competitive assessment of regulation.
Competitive assessment is a methodology that The OECD has directed member states to utilise to identify regulatory barriers to competition. By avoiding and removing such barriers, it is possible to open markets, promote competition and reduce the regulatory burden. The OECD has published Instructions on the application of the Competition Assessment Toolkit, which will be reviewed at the workshop and its implementation placed in an Icelandic context.
Workshop on public procurement and the fight against collusion in tenders
On Wednesday, 18 February, from 9:00 to 14:50, managers and staff of state procurement agencies, ministries and others involved in public procurement will be invited to attend a workshop on public tenders and the prevention of collusion in tendering.
Public procurement currently amounts to hundreds of billions of kroner each year. Collusion in procurement is particularly damaging and is liable to cause the public sector, and therefore the general public, substantial loss. On the other hand, well-designed tenders ensure that the public sector receives more and better services or goods for a lower price.
International experience therefore shows that vigilance and careful procedures in tendering yield significant benefits for the public sector. At the same time, well-run tenders, where collusion cannot flourish, can stimulate competition in markets and thus encourage more bidders to compete in similar tenders in the future.
The OECD has directed recommendations to member states on the application of tenders in public procurement. The OECD has also updated and published Instructions on measures to combat illegal collusion in public procurement (Guidelines for Fighting Bid Rigging in Public Procurement). It suggests ways to increase competition in tenders and to spot potential collusion. The Icelandic version of the guidelines will be presented at the meetings. This will be covered in the workshop, and the implementation will be set in an Icelandic context.
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