Public procurement is one area where the government could introduce measures aimed at better improving transparency and safeguards when it comes to the use of public funds.

In its pre-Budget document this year, the Malta Chamber of Commerce repeated some recommendations it made in the past which the government should heed. It called for the publication of a publicly accessible public procurement outlook for all government entities and departments, at least 6 months in advance to help bidders plan and tender with the best solutions, products and services.

It also called for the setting up a publicly accessible and easy to use Public Contracts Register for all public contracts issued by contracting authorities, including direct orders, which, apart from the current public information, would include the specific milestones and deliverables to be reached by the contractor and whether they have been reached, the payments made (when and how much), any disputes that may have been registered, any variations and their reason thereof as well as any modifications/variations.

Another proposal is the introduction of a whitelisting system to ensure that all government entities engage with reliable and reputable suppliers. "This should include financial stability, legal and financial compliance, quality certifications, performance history, adherence to ethical standards and capacity to meet government requirements. Concurrently, a blacklisting system with clearly established criteria against defaulting contractors and defaulting service providers, should also be introduced."

The government should look into ways to improve transparency and ensure that public funds are being used in the best possible way. The above proposals would help in doing just that. The whitelisting proposal in particular, would ensure that companies strive to uphold best practices when making submissions for projects which use public funds.

A statement by the PN's Shadow Minister for the Economy published around a week ago in The Malta Independent is a cause for concern. Businesses feel that there isn't a level playing field and that elements of the government have managed to create a "second class of businesspeople," Jerome Caruana Cilia had said. "If you are a genuine and honest person in business who acts correctly, as the majority do, the sentiment is that there isn't a fair level playing field. No matter which businesses you speak to, they won't say it publicly as they fear ramifications, but one on one they will tell you this," he said.

"I asked hundreds of Parliamentary questions about direct orders, and the relative members of Cabinet simply do not even deign to reply, or more correctly avoid replying. Why? Every month I ask about direct orders that are under the €5,000 threshold. Do they not have a monthly excel sheet for it at each ministry? Nobody answers," he went on to say.

The ministries should strive to answer these questions. Transparency is key.

If businesses are feeling as though there isn't a level playingfield, then that is a serious issue that needs to be tackled. Working to improve the way public procurement works can be part of the solution.