Curbing corruption in public procurement in Asia and the Pacific

Corruption in public procurement has become a major issue in the Asia-Pacific region as elsewhere in the world. As a result of corruption, private mansions are being built instead of bridges; swimming pools are dug instead of irrigation systems; funds destined to run hospitals and buy medicines find their way into the pockets of corrupt officials; economic growth is held back; and public trust in government is undermined. Governments in Asia and the Pacific have recognized the urgent need to fight corruption in public procurement. To identify risk-areas in their public procurement frameworks and to foster reform in this field, member governments of the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific have reviewed the mechanisms and safeguards in place. This publication presents the findings of the Initiative's 2005-2006 thematic review on curbing corruption in public procurement. It highlights trends, approaches and achievements across 25 jurisdictions in Asia and the Pacific in a comparative overview that also presents a framework to guide policy development. It also contains reports on individual jurisdictions that provide details on existing policies in national contexts and on key elements of legal and institutional frameworks.