Universities play a key role in developing public procurement professionals
On 21 November, the State University of Trade and Economics hosted a seminar on “Public Procurement Specialists: Necessary knowledge, skills and opportunities for development”.
The event was organised by the EU4PFM Project in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and the State University of Trade and Economics.
More than 100 participants – rectors, lecturers, representatives of the Ministry of Economy and EU4PFM experts – gathered online and offline to share experiences and discuss topical issues of training public procurement specialists.
In a welcoming speech, Nataliia Prytulska, First Vice Rector of the State University of Trade and Economics, highlighted the growing interest of students in public procurement: “Today, the university not only trains specialists in this field, but also offers certified advanced training programmes. All the changes implemented in the field of public procurement took place with the active participation and support of our university,” Ms Prytulska noted.
In his turn, Valerii Shergin, Director of the Public Procurement and Competition Policy Department of the Ministry of Economy, stressed the importance of universities’ cooperation with the Ministry in developing relevant training programmes. “The procurement profession faces numerous challenges: from choosing the appropriate procurement procedure to dealing with complex ethical issues such as conflicts of interest or establishing fair criteria for evaluating tender proposals. Therefore, training for this profession goes beyond the mechanical application of rules,” Mr Shergin added.
More than 30 higher education institutions currently offer education programmes in public procurement. These universities play a crucial role in shaping future experts in the field. They provide systematic training of specialists who will be able to work effectively in an ever-changing environment, promoting transparency and efficiency in public procurement. The seminar therefore aimed to strengthen cooperation between the Public Procurement and Competition Policy Department and representatives of Ukrainian higher education institutions.
Eriks Mesalis, Team Leader of Component 2 ‘Public Procurement’ of the EU4PFM Project, underlined the importance of professionalisation of public procurement for both EU countries and Ukraine. “Professionalisation is a key element, as only qualified and knowledgeable purchasers can deliver the best procurement outcomes, including good quality and value for money for taxpayers. In addition, Ukraine is currently aligning its legislation with the requirements of the EU acquis, in particular with the new Public Procurement Directives. These Directives provide many procedures and tools that open up new opportunities for contracting entities. Instead of making conventional procurement, they might use innovation partnership or competitive dialogue when negotiating with suppliers. However, the effective implementation of these sometimes complex procedures requires skilled specialists to manage the processes and ensure a quality outcome,” said Mr Mezalis.
The event also discussed key issues in public procurement policy, strategic objectives for professional development in this area, current market needs and the role of universities in providing quality training.
The seminar was an important step towards strengthening cooperation with universities and improving public procurement training programmes in line with the updated legislation and labour market requirements.
