CLDP, in partnership with the Public Procurement Regulatory Commission of Kosovo (PPRC), held a Workshop on International Best Practices in Public Procurement in Pristina, Kosovo on June 6-7, 2013.  In attendance were approximately 35 Kosovo public procurement officials, representing various government agencies, ministries, and municipalities.  U.S. Embassy Kosovo Deputy Chief of Mission Kelly Degnan and PPRC Director Safet Hoxha welcomed participants and called for an open forum of discussion to help identify challenges and impediments to the efficiency and transparency of Kosovo public procurement processes.

Dr. Karen Pica, a Senior Policy Analyst with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, led several sessions focusing on transparency, planning, partnerships, and management methods necessary in the public procurement process.  Dr. Pica shared U.S. and international best practices with the procurement officials and discussed an E-Procurement strategy as Kosovo is in the process of developing its own E-Procurement system.  USAID Supervisory Contractor Gerald Smith also joined the conversation during the workshop giving the perspective of the on-ground implementer while describing the roles of the implementer and policy maker in the U.S. public procurement system.

The program set out to provide comprehensive training to key public procurement practitioners, increase the efficiency and transparency of the public procurement process, and provide assistance aimed at supporting Kosovo on its path toward developing a democratic market-based economy.