| Year of assessment | 2022-2023 |
| Date of publication | July 2024 |
| Country procurement volume | 402.7 million USD (2022) |
| Principal organisation | Secretariat of Public Innovation, within the Chief of Cabinet Office |
| Main partners | Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), World Bank (WB) |
Argentina
Recognizing the central role that public procurement plays in public service delivery, financial management, and sustainable development, this MAPS MAIN assessment complemented by a MAPS SPP assessment resulted in recommendations concerning establishing a national public procurement policy with specific focus on sustainable public procurement, strengthening the national procurement authority, professionalising procurement staff, upgrading the e-procurement system COMPR.AR, improving procurement planning, increasing competition, and creating an independent mechanism for procurement appeals.
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Quick facts
Background
Why was a MAPS assessment initiated?
To provide a comprehensive evaluation of Argentina’s public procurement system, identifying strengths and weaknesses, fostering national debate, and contributing to public policy formulation for enhanced efficiency, transparency, and sustainability.
Who initiated the assessment?
Initiated by the Argentine government, led by the Secretariat of Public Innovation, with financial and technical assistance from IDB and the World Bank.
Brief description of the country procurement system:
Argentina’s procurement system operates under a centralized regulatory framework but with decentralized operational practices. The national system applies only to national entities, while provinces operate independently under their frameworks. The evaluation focused solely on entities under the National Procurement Regime (Decree 1023/01), emphasizing the use of the COMPR.AR electronic system for national-level procurements.
Is there anything else about the country that merits mention?
The assessment applied the MAPS methodology, including a supplementary module on sustainable public procurement, reflecting a growing focus on integrating sustainability into procurement strategies.
Main results and impact
Comprehensive Legal Reform
- Issue: Argentina lacks a unified public procurement law; instead, it relies on a delegated decree with multiple fragmented regulations and special regimes.
- Recommendations: Enact a comprehensive Public Procurement Law to unify the legal framework, improve clarity, and ensure the application of modern procurement principles such as value for money, sustainability, and competition.
Establishing a National Public Procurement Policy
- Issue: There is no defined national procurement policy, especially for Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP).
- Recommendations: Develop and implement a National Public Procurement Policy, including a specific framework for SPP, with strategic goals, implementation plans, and monitoring mechanisms.
Strengthening the National Procurement Office (ONC)
- Issue: The ONC lacks sufficient resources, legal authority, and institutional strength to function as the central regulatory body.
- Recommendations:
- Provide ONC with greater legal autonomy and a stronger institutional position to oversee the procurement system effectively.
- Increase funding, personnel, and technical capacity to allow for better regulation, monitoring, and policy implementation.
Professionalization of Procurement Staff
- Issue: There is no standardized training or certification for procurement professionals, leading to inconsistencies in procurement execution.
- Recommendations:
- Develop a mandatory training and certification program for procurement officers.
- Introduce performance indicators to measure procurement staff effectiveness.
Upgrading the COMPR.AR System for Better Data and Integration
- Issue: The COMPR.AR electronic procurement system is underutilized for data analysis and decision-making.
- Recommendations:
- Improve data collection, processing, and reporting within COMPR.AR.
- Ensure interoperability with financial management systems and procurement planning tools.
- Introduce monitoring dashboards for procurement performance.
Strengthening Procurement Planning
- Issue: Procurement planning is inconsistent due to the lack of mandatory alignment with budget allocations.
- Recommendations:
- Require entities to align procurement plans with budget allocations.
- Establish clear incentives and penalties for timely procurement planning.
Improving Competition and Supplier Participation
- Issue: Limited competition in procurement processes due to low supplier participation and barriers to entry.
- Recommendations:
- Simplify supplier registration processes.
- Provide incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate.
- Expand market research and supplier outreach before launching procurement processes.
Creating an Independent Mechanism for Procurement Appeals
- Issue: No independent appeal mechanism exists for procurement disputes—appeals are handled by the contracting authority itself, raising concerns about fairness and bias.
- Recommendations:
- Establish an independent administrative body to review appeals.
- Remove the requirement for financial guarantees when submitting complaints.
Increasing Transparency and Civil Society Engagement
- Issue: Civil society and the public have limited access to procurement information and minimal participation in monitoring procurement.
- Recommendations:
- Establish citizen oversight mechanisms for procurement.
- Improve public access to procurement data and reports.
- Introduce regular public consultations on procurement reforms.