During the event, Elnur Baghirov, Chairman of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, delivered opening remarks, while Nijat Khalilov, an official of the State Agency, participated in a panel discussion titled “Modern Trends in Public Procurement.”

The State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan participated in the annual meeting of the Working Group on Public Procurement Audit (WGPPA) of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), hosted by the Chamber of Accounts of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Opening remarks were delivered by Vugar Gulmammadov, Chairman of the Chamber of Accounts of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Svetlana Orlova, Head of the Secretariat of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation; and Elnur Baghirov, Chairman of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In his remarks, Vugar Gulmammadov highlighted reforms implemented in Azerbaijan to enhance transparency, advance digitalization, and improve the legislative framework governing public procurement. He emphasized the direct impact of the efficiency and transparency of public procurement on economic development, fiscal sustainability, and public welfare.

Svetlana Orlova presented Russia’s experience in the field, highlighting the development of specific indicators for assessing corruption risks during the formation and execution of the state budget, as well as the introduction of a digital mapping tool for identifying high-risk enterprises.

Elnur Baghirov emphasized the importance of public procurement audits in assessing the targeted and efficient use of public funds and evaluating compliance with the principles of competition. He also presented key results achieved in improving the efficiency of public procurement and highlighted the role of the Single Public Procurement Web Portal (etender.gov.az) in promoting broad participation by businesses in procurement procedures.

The annual meeting continued with a panel discussion titled “Modern Trends in Public Procurement,” moderated by Timur Makhmutov, Director of the Department of International and Regional Cooperation at the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation. The panel featured Nijat Khalilov, Head of the Division for Supervision of Compliance with Legislation within the Public Procurement Control Department of the State Agency; Barbara Ziolkowska, Senior Procurement Specialist for the South Caucasus at the World Bank; and Daniel Ivarsson, an international expert.

The event also featured sessions titled “Public Procurement Audit: Experiences of Supreme Audit Institutions” and “Report on the Activities of the INTOSAI Working Group on Public Procurement Audit.”