Azerbaijan has proposed examining public procurement issues and potential violations of antitrust law in the course of procurement procedures, Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) State Secretary and Deputy Head Sergey Puzyrevsky said on the sidelines of the 61st meeting of the CIS Interstate Council on Antimonopoly Policy, according to Report's correspondent in Khankandi.
"We have supported this initiative and intend to work together on the issue. At this stage, we will identify key areas, including eligibility for participation in procurement, the terms under which it is conducted, and possible cartel collusion among bidders. We will select specific aspects for further examination and discuss them at the next meeting," Puzyrevsky said.
According to him, the issue is highly relevant to antimonopoly authorities, as it directly concerns restrictions on competition, significant public spending and ensuring that small businesses have access to large-scale procurement procedures.
"This area of work has already been included in the meeting minutes. Specific proposals on the content and structure of a dedicated report are expected to be examined in detail at the next meeting," the state secretary added.
Azerbaijan has initiated discussions within the CIS on violations of antimonopoly law in public procurement.