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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 UNVIE VIENNA 000582 
 
DEPT FOR L/PIL 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AU AORC EINV ETRD UN UNCITRAL
SUBJECT: UNCITRAL Working Group on Procurement Makes Progress 
Revising 1994 Model 
 
UNVIE VIEN 00000582  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY.  At its December 7-11 meeting, the UNCITRAL Working 
Group on 
Procurement made significant progress in a second reading of the 
current draft 
revisions to the 1994 Model Law, but did not cover all of the 
articles.  The 
remaining articles should be addressed at the next meeting in April 
¶2010. 
Much of the discussion focused on the many available methods of 
procurement 
set forth in the text, including the conditions for their use, the 
procedures 
that apply to each, and the advantages and risks of the various 
methods. 
There is concern about the capacity of developing countries to 
administer 
effectively the methods involving dialogue/negotiation.  It is not 
expected 
that a text will be ready for submission to the annual UNCITRAL 
Commission 
meeting next summer.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  Working Group I of the United Nations Commission on 
International Trade 
Law (UNCITRAL) met December 7-11 to continue its work on revisions 
to the 1994 
Model Law on Procurement of Goods, Construction and Services.  In a 
second 
reading of the current draft, the Working Group made significant 
progress, but 
did not, as had been hoped, complete all of the articles.  It 
completed a 
review of Articles 1-42 of the 66 current articles, and engaged in 
partial 
discussion of Articles 43-44 (which concern sophisticated 
procurement 
methods).  In those articles that were fully reviewed, most open 
issues were 
resolved, with only a handful of matters remaining for further 
consideration. 
In a number of places, the Secretariat was asked to draft new text 
to reflect 
agreement on concepts. 
 
¶3.  Chapter I of the text, General Provisions (Articles 1-23), now 
contains a 
comprehensive set of provisions that apply generically to the 
procurement 
process notwithstanding which procurement method is used. 
 
¶4.  Examples of provisions that were discussed: 
Definitions (Article 1):  The definition of "socio-economic factors" 
was 
clarified.  Whether to include a definition of "successful 
submission," and if 
so how it would be defined, were left open. 
 
-Qualifications of suppliers and contractors (Article 9):  The word 
 
"references" was deleted from the list of things that suppliers or 
contractors 
must demonstrate in terms of qualifications, as the text otherwise 
provides 
that the procuring entity may require suppliers or contractors to 
present 
appropriate documentary evidence of their qualifications. 
 
-Rules concerning evaluation criteria and procedures (Article 11): 
In the 
list of evaluation criteria, "environmental characteristics" of 
goods or 
construction was added to complement "functional characteristics". 
 
-Prequalification proceedings (Article 16):  The Secretariat was 
requested to 
reconsider text on the withholding of classified information in 
light of the 
provisions on disclosure in Article 23. 
 
-Cancellation of the procurement (Article 17):  It was agreed that a 
procuring 
 
UNVIE VIEN 00000582  002 OF 003 
 
 
entity should incur no liability for cancellation of a procurement 
unless the 
cancellation was the consequence of irresponsible or dilatory 
conduct on the 
part of the procuring entity. 
 
-Acceptance of the successful submission and entry into force of the 
 
procurement contract (Article 20):  The applicability of standstill 
provisions 
(to allow challenges to procurement decisions) to different aspects 
of 
framework agreements was discussed, with the conclusion that this 
would need 
to be addressed further in Chapter VII on framework agreements. 
 
¶5.  Chapter II (Articles 24-29) of the text addresses methods of 
procurement 
and the conditions for their use.  These methods include: 
 
-Open tendering (generally used for goods and quantifiable 
services) 
 
-Other methods not involving dialogue/negotiations:  restricted 
tendering; 
request for quotations; and request for proposals without 
negotiation 
 
-Methods involving dialogue/negotiations:  two-state tendering; 
request for 
proposals with dialogue; request for proposals with consecutive 
negotiations; 
and competitive negotiations 
 
-Electronic reverse auctions 
 
-Single-source procurement 
 
¶6.  The multiple methods of procurement set forth in the text 
include older 
methods whose usage has become less prevalent as well as newer 
methods, 
especially with regard to more complex procurement, intellectual 
services, 
etc., reflecting advances in the field of procurement.  It was 
recalled that 
the various procurement methods were presented as part of a 
"toolbox" approach 
whereby enacting States could choose which methods to adopt.  Some 
participants, however, expressed concern over the proliferation of 
methods. 
Also, representatives of the World Bank and other multilateral 
development 
banks expressed concern that developing countries may not have the 
capacity to 
administer effectively the methods involving dialogue/negotiation, 
and that 
their use would create risks with regard to corruption.  It was 
agreed that 
the Guide to Enactment that would accompany the new Model Law would 
need to 
provide detailed guidance on conditions for use of the various 
methods and the 
associated risks. 
 
¶7.  Chapter III (Articles 30-38) concerns open tendering, which is 
the default 
method, the use of other methods requiring justification in each 
case.  Among 
the issues discussed in this area was the timing of the opening of 
tenders. 
Language was retained stating that tenders shall be opened at the 
time of the 
deadline for submission of tenders set forth in the solicitation 
documents. It 
was agreed that the Guide to Enactment would address what that means 
in 
practical terms, i.e., how promptly after the expiration of the 
deadline the 
actual opening should begin. 
 
 
UNVIE VIEN 00000582  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶8.  Other procurement methods not involving dialogue/negotiations 
are treated 
in Chapter IV (Articles 39-41).  Regarding restricted tendering, it 
was agreed 
that procuring entities should be allowed flexibility in determining 
in each 
case how to pre-select the suppliers and contractors permitted to 
submit 
tenders, as opposed to setting forth detailed procedures for that 
process. 
With respect to request for proposals without negotiation, the 
working group 
discussed the dangers of including in the solicitation documents a 
reference 
to a maximum price (as this could naturally lead to no proposals at 
a lower 
price), and it was agreed that the Guide to Enactment should address 
those 
concerns. 
 
¶9.  More complex procurement methods involving 
dialogue/negotiations, and also 
single-source procurement, are found in Chapter V (Articles 42-46). 
In the 
discussion of two-stage tendering, it was considered to what extent 
the 
procuring entity was permitted to change the description of the 
procurement 
after discussions with those who submitted initial tenders.  It was 
agreed 
that changes in the technical or quality characteristics of the 
subject matter 
were permissible, but that changes in the evaluation criteria should 
be 
limited to those necessary to implement the changes in those 
technical or 
quality characteristics.  The distinctions between request for 
proposals with 
dialogue and request for proposals with consecutive negotiations 
were examined 
in some detail, although discussion of those articles was not 
completed. 
Regarding the former, procedures were identified for the 
pre-selection of a 
limited number of suppliers or contractors who would be invited to 
submit 
proposals that would then be the subject of dialogue.  It was agreed 
that the 
minimum number of suppliers or contractors should be left for the 
procuring 
entity to determine in any given case. 
 
¶10.  Next steps.  The Working Group will convene again in April 2010 
to 
complete the second reading of the text.  That will involve first 
the 
completion of the review of procurement methods under Chapter V, 
including 
Competitive Negotiations, which is sparely drafted and thus might be 
subject 
to misuse.  That would be followed by discussion of electronic 
reverse 
auctions (Chapter VI), framework agreements (Chapter VII), and 
remedies in 
cases where the procuring entity has not complied with the law 
(Chapter VIII). 
It is not expected that a text of the revised Model Law will be 
ready for 
consideration by the UNCITRAL Commission at its annual meeting in 
June-July 
¶2010.  It remains to be seen if the Guide to Enactment could be 
developed over 
the next year or so, so that the Model Law and Guide could be 
submitted 
together to the Commission in 2011. 
 
DAVIES