The audit of public procurements: Evidence from Greece

Abstract

Public procurements represent a significant percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and are critical to the delivery of services like infrastructure, health and education. Public procurement is a strategic instrument and lever for achieving government policy goals such as stimulating innovation, promoting green public procurement and the circular economy, supporting access to public procurement contracts for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), or promoting responsible business conduct (RBC) in global supply chains. This makes public procurement a strategic tool for achieving policy objectives (OECD, 2020). On the other hand, public procurement can provide opportunities for corruption. When seeking lucrative public contracts, companies look for any opportunity they can take advantage of that will improve their ability to secure a successful bid. Unscrupulous government officials can use their influential positions to attain favors and gifts from businesses pursuing public procurement tenders. Civil society ultimately bears the cost of public procurement irregularities. Collusion and corruption affect the quality of services