Transparent, Effective and Accountable Municipalities (USAID TEAM) activity in Kosovo: Quarterly Performance Report April – June 2018

The activity aims to improve procurement effectiveness and transparency by providing comprehensive assistance to all 38 Kosovo municipalities, with more intensive coaching and mentoring in five focus municipalities: Gjakovë/Đakovica, Gjilan/Gnjilane, Pejë/Peć, Prishtinë/Priština, and Vushtrri/Vučitrn. At the central level, USAID TEAM works closely with national-level actors, including the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Public Procurement Regulatory Commission (PPRC), National Audit Office (NAO), Procurement Review Body (PRB), and the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). Civil society also plays a key role in providing oversight and exposing corrupt practices, with USAID TEAM partnering with an active network of civil society organizations (CSOs), including CiviKos, to promote transparency and accountability. The activity contributes to the CDCS Development Objective 1: Improved Rule of Law and Governance that Meet Citizens' Needs, directly contributing to two intermediate results: IR1.2, Strengthened Effectiveness and Accountability of Assemblies, Administrations, and Election Processes, and IR1.4, Civil Society Strengthened to Increasingly Engage Constructively with Government. During the second quarter of 2018, several significant events took place. The number of electronic bids submitted by economic operators surged, with 35% of all bids submitted electronically throughout the quarter, reaching a monthly high of 851 in June 2018. Bids for centralized procurements must now be submitted in electronic form only, with the Head of the Board of the PPRC announcing that all central procurements will be processed electronically as of 5 July 2018. The Open Procurement Transparency Portal (www.prokurimihapur.org) went live on 15 June 2018, automatically pulling data from the PPRC's e-Procurement platform and presenting it to citizens in a user-friendly interface. The portal allows users to explore the relationship between public expenditures, contracting authorities, and private actors. Additionally, 106 procurement complaints were submitted through the new e-appeals module, which was supported by USAID TEAM. The National Coordinator for State Reform engaged USAID TEAM on a public procurement reform plan, with the aim of presenting an action plan to the Prime Minister. The PPRC established an e-Procurement Steering Committee, which adopted system governance policies and reorganized the help-desk operation for faster response times. CSOs are documenting and reporting specific cases of alleged corruption, with USAID TEAM supporting their efforts to promote transparency and accountability. The activity's work plan progress is divided into three components: Component One, which focuses on developing, refining, and rolling out models for transparent and accountable municipalities; Component Two, which engages the central level in addressing municipal corruption within the procurement process; and Component Three, which enables civil society to track and expose corruption. Adaptive management is also an essential aspect of the activity, with a focus on monitoring and evaluating progress towards specific indicators. Indicator performance is a critical aspect of the activity, with a focus on measuring progress towards specific indicators. The activity's project management is also essential, with a focus on operations, finance, and successes and challenges. Major activities for the next quarter include continuing to support the implementation of the e-Procurement platform, promoting transparency and accountability through the Open Procurement Transparency Portal, and engaging with CSOs to document and report cases of alleged corruption.