On the 3^rd of March VNO-NCW and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency jointly hosted a World Bank procurement event during which a presentation was held about the new Procurement Policy Framework. Around 25 companies, many of which had been involved in the preceding stakeholder consultations, were present to learn from Mr. Enzo de Laurentiis, World Bank Regional Procurement Manager, about the new framework and the new opportunities it creates for the private sector.

Mr. de Laurentiis underlined that the new regulations introduced more flexibility in the design of the procurement process to ensure that it is fit for purpose and appropriate to the size, value and risk of the project. He added that one of the fundamental pillars of the new framework was that it allowed the use of value-for-money criteria for contract award decisions.

A key point, according to Mr. de Laurentiis, was that the World Bank will now be more involved in the contract management. He added that the World Bank would also take a more pro-active stance to facilitate solutions in regard to contract-related complaints – although legally it might not be a contract party.

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