If the price is right…

Along with the reform of capital markets and the strengthening of judicial independence, the modernization of public procurement is on top of Lebanon’s reform agenda and a major condition to unlock international assistance. Public procurement is a fundamental economic activity for public authorities at both the central and the local levels, as it encourages the provision of high quality services in a cost-effective way.  The massive uprisings of October 2019 and the unfolding financial meltdown may signal a wind of change: both the international community and the Lebanese people are demanding strict accountability and integrity requirements, but the challenge is considerable. Despite billions of dollars of aid and soft loans that were granted to Lebanon since the 1990s, the country’s infrastructure and the quality of public services remain among the poorest in the region. To many, the inefficiency of public spending is but one outcome of Lebanon’s institutionalized corruption, elite