A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

• The Government of Liberia should ensure transparency and competitive bidding in the
process of public procurement and concessions.
• The Government of Liberia should develop a national policy on decentralization across
ministries, as well as clear guidelines and a timeframe for implementation.
• The Government of Liberia should advance reforms that provide increased opportunities for
political participation on the local and county levels.
• The Government of Liberia should ensure that the tax system is structured so that a
proportion of taxes stay in the county for the purposes of development, education, rebuilding
infrastructure, etc.
• The Government of Liberia should develop sustainable mechanisms for local constituencies
to play a role in decision-making about resource allocation and prioritization in their areas.
Potential Implementation Strategy:
2005 Global Corruption Report
In seeking to reduce corruption in the sphere of public construction contracts as well as post conflict
reconstruction, the Government of Liberia may wish to consider the following strategies put forth in
Transparency International’s 2005 Global Corruption Report:
1. Opening of state awarded contracts to competitive bidding free of favor. A reasonable amount of
time must be given between the selection and signing of the contract, so as to allow any aggrieved
competitor an opportunity to challenge the decision.
2. Provision of open access to all information regarding the contract, save what is legally protected, by
the contracting authority.
3. Decentralization to ensure that contractor selection, contracting supervision, and project control are
based in separate offices.
4. Adequate remuneration of and regular rotations for staff in sensitive positions. 300
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Chapter Fourteen