Young, energetic entrepreneurs, like Kujtim Thaqi, the owner of Euroing L.L.C., were often out-bid because they favored providing quality goods and services to citizens over a focus only on the bottom line. By lobbying the municipality for fairer competition practices, the private sector has catalyzed municipal authorities to introduce new ways of evaluating proposals to factor in quality and value, not just price. Now, for the first time in Kosovo, municipalities are evaluating procurement bids based on best value offers rather than requiring that contracts go to the lowest bidder.
Supported by USAID, the Municipality of Pristina was the first in Kosovo to apply these evaluation procedures in their solicitation for the construction of a $5 million green market. Along with Pristina, the Municipality of Rahovec successfully implemented these new criteria and awarded a contract for the construction of a museum in Krusha e Madhe. Kujtim’s company, Euroing, won the contract by offering high-quality products, a dynamic plan to finish the project effectively, and a warranty for works in the coming years.
“This procedure has given us the opportunity to apply with the best options and get selected for what is most economically advantageous,” emphasizes Kujtim. The Municipality of Rahovec’s Procurement Manager, Astrit Mullaabazi, explained that in the past, evaluating proposals based on price alone resulted in poorly constructed public facilities. More importantly, when contracts were awarded to the lowest bidder, competing businesses did not offer warranties or maintenance, which are essential to construction projects. As a result of the private sector advocating and influencing policy, municipalities in Kosovo can now procure higher-quality goods and services for their citizens.
USAID’s Transparent, Effective and Accountable Municipalities activity is working with both local and central governments to improve their procurement procedures.
DAI for USAIDKosovo