Unit on Corruption and Public Procurement
Head of Unit: Dr Peter Trepte
The Corruption and Public Procurement unit conducts research into the inter-relationship between corruption and public procurement and the legal mechanisms aimed at addressing the corruption that occurs in public procurement. The unit also examines the utility of the measures aimed at combating corruption in public procurement. The unit has conducted research into the use of exclusions from public procurement for corruption offences, the use of integrity pacts and the use of financial contractor penalties. Other activities of the unit include an examination of the problems that anti-corruption measures may create for a public procurement system.
The head of the unit is Dr Peter Trepte. The unit is engaged in a wide range of academic and non-academic activities, which are all concerned with understanding the problem of corruption in public procurement and at examining the role for legal solutions to this problem.
Current Research
Sope Williams, the former Head of Unit, recently completed research on the UK’s implementation of the mandatory exclusions for corruption in the EC procurement directives. She is also engaged in an on-going comparative study of the exclusion of corrupt suppliers from public procurement in 5 jurisdictions, namely the UK, the United States, the EC, the World Bank and South Africa.
The problem of corruption in public procurement is also being considered as part of a number of broader research projects into public procurement regulation systems. The most recently instituted project is a study of procurement regulation in Africa, that will include a study of the role and nature of public procurement rules that seek to address corruption as one of its key themes. The project is supported by an award of £29 762 from the British Academy and will be undertaken by Sope Williams, Annamaria La Chimia and collaboration with Dr Geo Quinot of the University of the Stellenbosch and Professor Phoebe Bolton of the University of the Western Cape, South Africa.
Ping Wang is also considering the role of public procurement regulation in addressing corruption in a forthcoming book on public procurement law in China.
Recent events and activities
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Sope Williams, "Approaches to Fighting Corruption in Public Procurement" 2nd International Anti-Corruption Summer School in Vienna, Austria, 18th July 2008.
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Annamaria La Chimia, "Tied and Untied Assistance and Tied and Untied Food Aid" University of Roma Tre, 5th June 2008.
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Sope Williams, Experts Roundtable Discussion on the World Bank's Proposed "Methodology for Use of Country Procurement Systems" 14 January 2007 at the World Bank.
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Sope Williams, First Annual General Meeting of the East African Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (EAAACA) in Zanzibar, Tanzania on 15th February 2008.
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Sope Williams, The Economics of Corruption, University of Passau, Germany, 9th October 2007.
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Sope Williams, “Corruption in Business: Government Relations and Procurement” in Chevening Programme on Responsible Business, University of Nottingham Business School, March 2007.
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Sue Arrowsmith, The role of public procurement regulation in addressing corruption; lecture to a visiting delegation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham, 2006
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Sope Williams, “Procurement, the World Bank and Corruption” in Public Procurement Research Group Seminar Series, University of Nottingham, U.K, November 2006.
Recent publications
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Annamaria La Chimia, “Effectiveness and Legality Issues in Development Aid Procurement for EU Member States”, (2008) European Current Law: Monthly Digest, xi-xv.
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Sope Williams, “The BAE/Saudi Al-Yamamah Contracts: Implications in Law and Public Procurement”, (2008) International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 57(1), 200-209.
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Sope Williams, “World Bank introduces new measures to reduce fraud and corruption in Bank-financed projects and the administration of Bank loans”, (2007) Public Procurement Law Review 16(5), NA152-157.
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Sope Williams, “The debarment of corrupt contractors from World Bank-financed contracts” (2007) Public Contract Law Journal 36(3), 277-306.
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Sope Williams, “The Risks of Corruption and the Risks of Fighting Corruption in EC Public Procurement”, (2007) European Current Law, 2, xi-xiv.
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S. Williams, and G. Quinot, “Public Procurement and Corruption: The South African Response”, (2007) South African Law Journal, 124(2), 339-363.
For more information contact Dr Peter Trepte.