Impact of Covid-19 on State Procurement in Georgia

Abstract

The recent outbreak of the COVID 19 virus around the world, including Georgia, has escalated into a pandemic thus posing unprecedented challenges to countries and governments. Our study focuses on the restrictive measures taken in response to these challenges by the government of Georgia in the fi eld of state procurement. The study found that restrictive measures were less effective, as reduction of electronic tenders led to a doubled number of simplifi ed procurement, overextended procurement procedures and, as a result, delayed procurement items, which in most cases are objects of public convenience. Given that the pandemic is still in an active phase and the prospects for its slowdown / stopping are unreliable at least until the spring of next year, it is important that decision-makers, introducing various rules and restrictions in the field of public procurement in response to force majeure, considered the recommendations developed on the basis of this study.