| Year of assessment | 2018-2019 |
| Date of publication | November 2023 |
| Country procurement volume | 4.6 billion USD (2022) |
| Principal organisation | Haute Instance de la Commande Publique (HAICOP) |
| Main partners | World Bank (WB), African Development Bank (AfDB), OECD |
Tunisia
Recognizing the central role that public procurement plays in public service delivery, financial management, and sustainable development, this MAPS MAIN assessment resulted in recommendations targeting strengthening procurement regulations, enhancing digital procurement systems, improving market competition, and ensuring greater transparency and accountability in public procurement.
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Quick facts
Background
Why was a MAPS assessment initiated?
The Government of Tunisia initiated this assessment to identify weaknesses in the procurement system and develop a reform strategy aimed at improving efficiency, competition, and transparency.
Who initiated the assessment?
The assessment was conducted by HAICOP in collaboration with international development partners, particularly the World Bank and AfDB.
Brief description of the country procurement system
- Degree of centralization: The procurement system is partially centralized, with HAICOP providing oversight while individual procuring entities manage their procurement independently.
- Regulation level: Highly regulated under the Public Procurement Code, last revised in 2014, with additional reforms ongoing.
- Supranational regulations: The system aligns with international best practices but is not subject to EU directives.
Additional relevant context:
Tunisia has undergone procurement reforms, including the adoption of TUNEPS, an e-procurement platform aimed at enhancing transparency and efficiency.
Were there any disruptions?
The assessment was conducted amid economic and political challenges, which impacted procurement operations and reform implementation.
Main results and impact
- Issue: Outdated legal framework that does not fully align with international best practices.
- Recommendations:
- Revise the Public Procurement Code to align with international standards and modern procurement principles.
- Ensure clearer definitions of procurement procedures and criteria for bid evaluation.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Lack of provisions for sustainable and socially responsible procurement.
- Recommendations:
- Introduce environmental and social criteria in procurement regulations.
- Implement mandatory guidelines for green procurement.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Limited coordination between procurement regulatory institutions.
- Recommendations:
- Establish a formalized inter-agency coordination mechanism to align procurement strategies.
- Strengthen HAICOP’s monitoring and enforcement role.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Insufficient procurement training for government officials.
- Recommendations:
- Develop comprehensive training programs for procurement staff.
- Create a certification system for procurement officers to enhance professionalization.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Weak procurement performance monitoring.
- Recommendations:
- Implement a performance measurement system with key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Strengthen the use of data analytics to assess procurement effectiveness.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Low competition due to barriers to entry for private sector participation.
- Recommendations:
- Simplify prequalification requirements for bidders.
- Increase market outreach programs to attract more suppliers.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Limited adoption of digital procurement processes.
- Recommendations:
- Expand the use of TUNEPS for all public procurement procedures.
- Ensure that training on e-procurement is widely available.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Lack of standardization in contract management.
- Recommendations:
- Develop standardized contract templates to improve consistency.
- Strengthen contract monitoring mechanisms to ensure timely implementation.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Weak mechanisms for complaints and appeals in procurement processes.
- Recommendations:
- Establish an independent procurement appeals body.
- Develop a digital complaints tracking system for real-time resolution of disputes.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Limited public access to procurement data.
- Recommendations:
- Require mandatory publication of procurement data in an open-access format.
- Develop a public procurement transparency portal.
- Recommendations:
- Issue: Insufficient enforcement of anti-corruption measures.
- Recommendations:
- Strengthen audit mechanisms to detect and prevent procurement fraud.
- Implement whistleblower protection policies for procurement-related complaints.
- Recommendations: