From Chinese Press

Make procurements transparent

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-23 07:56

Government procurement should be transparent and subjected to more effective supervision in order to make taxpayers believe that governments at all levels have used every penny properly, says an article in Xinhua Daily Telegraph. Excerpts:

Recently, some Chinese netizens found that the public security bureau of Changchun, capital of Jilin province, intended to buy a 29,000-yuan laptop, which can actually be bought for 17,000 yuan.

When the public questioned this, the city authorities said it was needed for "better work performance".

Governments at all levels have to buy good quality products, and since they almost always buy in bulk, they can reach a deal for lower prices. But it's an "open secret" that bidding prices for government procurement are usually higher than in other transactions.

Although the authorities have enacted laws and drawn up a series of rules and regulations to streamline and standardize government procurement, it still has many "gray areas". Only if government expenditure is open to public supervision can government procurement become transparent.

(China Daily 06/23/2010 page9)