Procurement security

Government drafts fresh bill seeking to curb corruption in Russian state tenders

In a bid to stamp out the practice of “kickbacks” the Russian cabinet has drafted a bill that, if passed, would automatically bar people and companies earlier punished for economic crimes from participation in government tenders.

The draft, developed by the Labor Ministry, expands the list of criteria obligatory for tender participants with a ban on people earlier convicted for illegal entrepreneurship, bribery, or acting as an intermediary in corruption schemes. The ban also applies to people and firms who have been held accountable for graft and people banned by courts from taking certain posts or engaging in certain activities.

“The bill aims to prevent the possibility of corruption in the course of distribution of state contracts, to boost competition and raise the effectiveness of spending of budget funds,” the explanatory note attached to the bill reads. The document is presented as a part of the National Plan on Countering Corruption and an inter-departmental plan on countering kickbacks in state and municipal tenders.