OREANDA-NEWS. On 28 January 2009 was announced, that Belarus’ organizers of state-financed procurement are entitled to change the volume and cost of supplies within 10% of the original amounts, in accordance with resolution #1,987 of the Council of Ministers dated December 20, 2008 on selection of suppliers.

The government has authorized the customer, organizer or procuring office to adjust, keeping within the limits of state financing, the volume and cost of supplies within 10% of the original volume and price indicated in the contract due to changes in the cost of raw materials and components that were impossible to foresee, or legislative changes.

The resolution does not oblige procuring offices to have their choice of supplying organization coordinated with the president, government, or superior agencies; interdepartmental tendering commissions are abolished. To hold a competitive tender or request price proposals and make up a competitive list two bids will suffice.

The government has cut the index of preference for Belarusian associations for the disabled offering commodities and services to 10% from 15% [the price of their bids is reduced if they compete with regular producers].

The resolution allows bidding by way of electronic messages; the procurer is supposed to confirm the receipt of a bid within one workday and of a price proposal on the same day.

The government has also approved procedures for holding reverse auctions, that is, auctions subject to reductions in price proposals. Reverse auctions are held to procure products supplied by at least five organizations on a regular basis.

On January 15, 2009, the Economy Ministry signed resolution #9 on tendering commissions to regulate their roles in procurement procedures. The commission includes specialists representing the procuring agency or authorized procurer and, if necessary, specialists of other organizations and the state agency that controls the ordering party.

The tendering commission makes decisions by a simple majority vote. If votes are distributed equally between a number of bidders, the decision is made by the chairperson of the commission.

The ministry also approved the forms of documents essential for procurement.

The documents have been approved in pursuance of President Lukashenko’s ordinance #618 of November 17, 2008, which introduced new procurement procedures.