FOR A NEW CULTURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. EXCELLENCE, KNOW-HOW AND VALUES. March > July 2014 International Master in Public Procurement Management University of Rome Tor Vergata and EBRD - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Dear Student, it is with pride and enthusiasm that we want to share with you the launch of the second edition of the International Master in Public Procurement Management, born out of the willingness and commitment of both the Procurement Department of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and of the Tor Vergata University in Rome. After 8 years of successfully managing the interdisciplinary Italian Master in Procurement Management, which has brought Tor Vergata into the national limelight for procurement studies, we have found in EBRD the right institutional partner to make the dream of exporting our professional and training capacity abroad come true. As we always believed that public procurement issues are common worldwide but need specifi c solutions for each context, we have tailored a program meant to confront dilemmas and challenges that may happen on the day-to-day purchasing activity and in the procurement planning process, with a hands- on approach based on case-studies and the right blend of theory and practice. Also thanks to the critical support of the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Central European Initiative and the prestigious cooperation with the Italian Procurement Central Purchasing Body, Consip, we believe we will successfully achieve the main goal of the Master: to e ectively train public o cials operating in the fi eld of procurement and young students eager to apply for a public position in the fi eld. Applicants will fi nd at Tor Vergata an engaging environment with an international dimension added to it, in the context of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The intensity of the program and the live-in experience in the university campus will allow students to work in team, learn from each other’s background and engage in lively professional debates around public procurement, adding an essential human touch to the quality of the overall period of studies. The Department of Business Government Philosophy Studies of Tor Vergata University, recognized worldwide as a Centre of Excellence for Procurement, is proud to o er its interdisciplinary procurement team of experts ranging from various fi elds (ethics, law, economics, supply-chain and quality management, audit, IT, strategy, planning) to prospective participants that wish to add value to their working experience improving their skills and knowledge. Join us by applying! Prof. Gustavo Piga Master Director Dear Student, You may wonder why a Bank, albeit a Development Bank, is interested in having a foothold in the academic world. Well, investment is not only about equity or loans but investment in people that can help to develop their countries. An investment project may deliver a power station or a road that will resolve an immediate need but investment in people will bring benefi ts that are sustainable over generations to come. Procurement is a process that aims to deliver solutions corresponding to the need of public or private stakeholders at a price that is in line with real market cost. The procurement function of EBRD has been instrumental in supporting EBRD clients to achieve just that during the 20 plus years that EBRD has been in existence and we believe that the experience that our in-house procurement specialists have accumulated should be shared to bring benefi ts to aspiring procurement practitioners. International Financing Institutions (IFI) like the EBRD have fi nanced and supported implementation of projects in many countries and have therefore a broad perspective on issues that may arise during a procurement and contract implementation cycle. Furthermore, as an honest broker in the procurement process an IFI will need to safeguard the interests of both Bank clients and tenderers. This forces IFI’s to always strive towards best practice in procurement and contract implementation. In Tor Vergata we have found a partner that not only has the same vision but also the expertise in delivering procurement knowledge with high academic standard to a broad spectrum of students. It is therefore with immense pleasure that we together with Tor Vergata are able to o er you this opportunity to develop your procurement knowledge by enrolling in this Public Procurement Management Master Programme. Jan Jackholt Director of Procurement European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The Qualifi cation Programme’s learning path The qualifi cation programme is a full time advanced 1 year (graduate) Master with classroom lectures, running from March to mid-July 2014 in Rome, Italy, with classroom lectures followed by distance-learning and a mandatory professional stage in a fi rm or institution, whether in Italy, in the home (or an alternative) country. The programme is characterized by an interdisciplinary content and is meant to attract public purchasers with relevant experience in procurement as well as young students interested in preparing for a career in public procurement. Classes are all taught in English; thus, language profi ciency is required to successfully attend the courses and to actively participate to all the learning activities. PPM International Master 2 Modular training The programme consists of 12 modules where attendance is strictly compulsory. Failure to attend will motivate outright suspension from the Programme. Students will sign a Memorandum of Professional Behavior before the beginning of classes, together with the acceptance of the rules of the Master (posted on the website). Each module lasts approximately a week. The modules will be based on a traditional learning approach and will be followed by graded exams. Courses List 1 Negotiation and Team Building 2 Economics of Procurement 3 Legal Background 4 Organization and Strategy 5 Economic Analysis of the Market 6 IFI’s Procurement Procedures 7 Contract Management 8 Law & Economics of Public and Private Partnerships 9 Quality Management and Green Procurement 10 Values, Rules and Eff ectiveness in Procurement 11 E-Procurement 11 bis Logistic and Supply Chain Management 12 Strategic Procurement PPM International Master 3 The Qualifi cation Programme’s learning path Tutoring Activities Exams The tutoring activities are meant Exams will be organized around 2 sessions: the fi rst session will be to ensure the administered at the end of the sixth module and the second at the end eff ectiveness of the of the last module. training programme, supporting students in administrative, Students will have a one-week break for exams preparation and the technical and following week will sit down for exams, respectively, at the end of module academic issues. six and at the end of module twelve. The goal is to assist A distance-learning module will follow these taught modules, where students on all issues bearing on their day- students will be required to show their capacity and creativity in to-day student life. designing a specifi c tender for goods, services or works. Training tools: Traineeship period The following tools will integrate After the courses students have to be involved in a Traineeship period and make more (a “stage”), within their own (or another public) organization. For a eff ective the Master programme: candidate to be admitted to the thesis’ defense the Board of the Master - E-Learning program will have to have approved the project work prepared within that period. - Interactive tutoring - Group discussion and seminars Final Dissertation - Role-playing At the end of the Master’s programme students will have to submit a - Business games dissertation, which will be part of the fi nal evaluation. The dissertation and team activities should be a case study concerning procurement issues related to their own organizations, to a specifi c country or to a public procurement challenge. PPM International Master 4 Programme Implementation The World economies are at a critical juncture. The 2008 fi nancial meltdown that spread rapidly across the planet by slowing trade, reducing income evolution and generating unemployment has triggered a strong countercyclical of the reaction by central banks and governments. The latter have sometimes Procurement used the lever of fi scal policy – lower taxes, higher expenditure and consequent high defi cits and debt – to smooth out the recession fi gures: in the making, resisting the lure to make use of often sterile and meeting counterproductive protectionist strategies. However, while partly changes successful, they seem to have exhausted the steam to face a new slowing down for the next few years, just when economies seem to have entered it. and How can more fi scal pace be found in this context? And what policies challenges can be used to lessen the threat of lower employment and encourage domestic industries, both in emerging and developed economies, to gain momentum again, without recurring to the self-defeating strategies of greater protectionism? It turns out that one powerful element that can combine fi scal prudence, fi scal space and eff ective industrial policy is available: public procurement, which is seldom understood fully in its – indeed large - capacity to serve leaders and citizens, an opportunity for economic enrichment and social development. Public procurement can be dubbed as a “quick win” for policy makers. In times when budgets are stretched, but the need for public sector presence and action is deemed critical, when structural and rapid sources of funding that do not hamper growth seem missing, when there is a growing concern for the quality of public intervention and when regulation is felt too intrusive and ineff ective in pushing forward private markets profi tability and growth, it appears that an organized and transparent process of setting up public procurement can be fundamental in ensuring that trust in the action of policy-makers is rapidly restored.