Public Procurement Framework In India: The Need For Enactment Of A Long Overdue Statute

The term "public procurement" refers to the procurement of goods, services, and execution of works by the government departments and organisations functioning under their administrative control. There is no specific law governing public procurement in India. A Public Procurement Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in May 2012 and referred to the Standing Committee on Finance. But no report was submitted by the committee and the bill lapsed in 2014 with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha.

The 2012 Bill envisaged an overarching framework to regulate the procurement of goods and services costing over Rs 50 lakh by the central ministries, departments, public sector enterprises, and autonomous and statutory bodies. Its objective was to ensure transparency, accountability and probity in the procurement process, fair and equitable treatment of bidders, and promotion of competition, efficiency, economy, integrity, and public confidence in the public procurement process.