Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on public procurement in Georgia (On the example of simplified procurement)

Abstract

Georgian public procurement accounts for a significant share of the country's gross domestic product each year. One of the goals of public procurement policy is to reduce the share of simplified procurement in total procurement. Crises are particularly conducive to the implementation of simplified procurement to address emergencies, which in turn carry the risk of corruption and less transparency. That is why studying the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on simplified procurement is interesting and topical. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on simplified procurement by 2020. The theoretical-methodological basis of the research is the analysis of official statistics, official reports, various normative acts, and the latest scientific publications. The unified electronic system of the LEPL State Procurement Agency is used to achieve certain research objectives. The findings and recommendations will be interesting and useful for any stakeholder, especially for procuring organizations. Keywords: Covid-19 pandemic; Public procurement; Simplified procurement;