EU4PFM deepens understanding of Public Procurement during study visit to Latvia

On 11–13 June, under the auspices of a study visit to Riga, Latvia, representatives of EU4PFM partner institutions from Ukraine met with Latvia’s public authorities, where they had the opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices in the field of public procurement.

The primary focus of the visit is the control and oversight of public procurement and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)/ Concessions transactions.

The Ukrainian delegation includes representatives from the Verkhovna Rada, Ministry of Economy, Accounting Chamber, State Audit Service, and Antimonopoly Committee. Their meetings with Latvian counterparts provided valuable insights into Latvia’s public control and oversight frameworks. Discussions centred on best practices, challenges encountered, and effective solutions implemented.

On the first day of the visit, the delegation’s first stop was the Innovation Laboratory at the State Chancellery of Latvia, where they explored Latvia’s approach to piloting innovative projects in the public sector. Participants discussed the activities and settings necessary for fostering innovative initiatives, as well as practical public sector innovation examples.

A subsequent meeting with the State Audit Office of Latvia offered a detailed look at their audit process. Parties discussed approaches both to financial and expediency audits and, in case of the latter, recognized the need for setting the benchmarks for evaluation of the audited entity.

Day two featured a meeting with the Central Financing and Contracting Agency (CFCA) of Latvia. The delegation gained valuable knowledge on PPP project implementation, oversight practices, and control mechanisms for projects co-financed by various instruments. Regarding PPP oversight, parties recognized the need to apply scrutiny to the PPP project pipeline to distinguish those projects that deliver the best value for money and protect the public budget from unwarranted expenditure. Additionally, the meeting explored the diverse oversight frameworks applied to projects co-financed by different financial instruments in Latvia.

During the meeting with the Procurement Monitoring Bureau (PMB) of Latvia, participants discussed PMB functions and compared them with relevant bodies in Ukraine, highlighting the strengths and risks of each particular institutional and functional setting.

The active participation of the Ukrainian delegation ensured a productive exchange of experience and knowledge. The participants of the visit exchanged contact information for further cooperation and implementation of knowledge and best practices in Ukraine.