The investigation covered public procurement procedures that were announced and finalized from July 2015 until 20 January 2017. July 2015 is when the new municipalities, emerging from the recent territorial and administrative reform, started functioning. For purposes of this investigation, business companies include those registered as natural persons or business entities. Women-owned business companies include companies, where women own shares or quotas. Contracts, on the other hand, include contracts awarded as a result of a public procurement procedure by municipalities, their subordinate institutions, or by companies or enterprises, where the local government owns shares or quotas.
The main purpose of this investigation was to identify business enterprises managed or owned by women, and their share of public contracts signed with the municipalities. Signing public contracts is a way of obtaining works, supplies, and public services in exchange for taxpayer’ money.
The article analyses the weight of public contracts signed by women-owned companies versus the total number of contracted companies. The data indicate also how efficient the respective public procurement procedures have been. Efficiency is measured by the difference between the planned fund limit per contract and the actual winning bid. The difference shows how much municipalities have managed to save through free competition. During July 2015-January 2017, the 61 municipalities subject to this article carried out 4820 tenders. Their total fund limit was ALL 26.4 billion, while the total value of warded contracts was ALL 22.8 billion (or 86.4% of the fund limit). The procurement efficiency was 13.6%.
The total value of contracts awarded to women-owned business companies was ALL 731.6 million, or just 3.2% of the total value contracted by the municipalities.
Out of 4820 tenders in total, women-owned business companies were awarded 256 contracts (5% of the total).
Women-owned business companies tend to be more efficient in using public money. The contracts awarded to them were equal to 83% of the fund limit, while men-owned ones equal to 86.5% of the total fund limit. The procurement efficiency was thus 17% in contracts awarded to women, and 13.5 in contracted awarded to men.
Source: Transparent Procurement
Comments and analysis: Open Data Albania
Loval Government procurement efficiency (%)
Source: Transparent Procurement
Comments and analysis: Open Data Albania
The Municipality of Cërrik ranks first for the total value of contracts signed with women-owned business companies. This municipality has signed 6 such contracted during July 2015- January 2017, which amount to ALL 125 million (15% of the total value contracted by the 51 municipalities altogether).
The second municipality is Elbasan with ALL 110 million contracted to women-owned business companies, followed by Tirana and Vlora with respectively ALL 90 and 74 million. The chart below presents 20 municipalities, which have awarded the highest value to women-owned business companies during July 2015-January 2017.
Source: Transparent Procurement
Comments and analysis: Open Data Albania
Cërrik is the leading municipality in terms of the total amount of money contracted to women-owned companies, i.e. 49% from the national average of 3.2%. Second comes Puka with 25%, followed by Kuçova, Dropulli, and Mirdita with respectively 12%, 11.8%, and 10.4%.
Larger municipalities seem to award only minimum values to women-owned companies. Thus, Tirana has awarded only 3% of its funds to women companies (15 out of 447 contracts) for July 2015-January 2017, Durrës 5.2%, and Fier 1.5%.
Source: Transparent Procurement
Comments and analysis: Open Data Albania
Municipalities of Fushë-Arrëz, Tepelenë, Mat, Poliçan, Peqin, Bulqizë, Librazhd, Përmet, Libohovë, Kavajë, and Devoll have no contracts signed with women-owned companies.
Shkodra is the municipality, which has signed the biggest number of contracts (25) with joint stock companies, which have at least one women shareholder. However, their value is relatively small (9.8% of the total contracted amount of money), as Shkodra ranks seventh by value of contracts with women-owned companies against the total. Shkodra is followed by Tirana, Vlora, and Elbasan, with respectively 15, 14, and 13 contracts.
Source: Transparent Procurement
Comments and analysis: Open Data Albania
Business companies managed by women administrators seem to have signed 169 contracts (3.5% of the total) with the local government units during July 2015 – January 2017. In terms of value, these contracts represent only 1.32% (while companies owned by women represent 3.2%). It is interesting to see that even women-owned companies are managed by men administrators.
Again, it is Shkodra, which has signed the biggest number of contracts with companies managed by women administrators (16 contracts), followed by Tropoja, Tirana, and Roskovec with respectively 11, 10, and 10.
In terms of contract value, Tirana is on the op with ALL 89.5 million awarded to companies managed by women administrators. In general, such companies seem to be awarded contracts of very small values. Thus, a company both owned and managed by a woman, has been awarded only one contract of ALL 5,800 in three years in Bulqiza, while another one ALL 3,300 in Librazhd.
This article is published in the framework of the ‘Monitoring Municipality Clients in Public Contracts’ Project, supported by LevizAlbania – For a stronger local democracy.
Contributed by: R.E