The Central Purchasing Operator (CPO) continues to consolidate its role as a key instrument for increasing efficiency, transparency, and competition in centralized procurement in Albania. According to official CPO data, the savings achieved from procedures carried out over approximately two years amount to 40 million euros in savings for the state budget.
In a short time operating as a joint-stock company with 100% state ownership, CPO has brought a noticeable transformation in how procurement procedures are conducted for central institutions and their subordinate bodies. During this period alone, 1,163 tenders have been conducted, while the total value of evaluated funds has reached around 315 million euros. These figures demonstrate not only a high volume of work but also the institution’s tangible impact on more effective public financial management.
Beyond financial savings, CPO has delivered several other important benefits for public administration and the market. These include an increase in the number of announced procedures, reduced time for conducting procedures, standardization of technical specifications and prices, and the digitalization of processes through solutions such as the AlbZone platform, automatic generation of standard tender documents, and digital archives.
Another key indicator of CPO’s impact is the expansion of the beneficiary base and increased competitiveness. Currently, 600 economic operators are registered to receive automatic notifications whenever CPO publishes tenders, a mechanism that has positively influenced participation in procedures. Additionally, various institutions have begun voluntarily submitting requests through catalogs approved by CPO, demonstrating trust in this centralized and more efficient procurement model.
In the area of sustainable procurement, CPO has taken concrete steps to integrate social and environmental criteria into public procedures. During 2025 alone, 41 sustainable procurement procedures were conducted, accounting for 7% of CPO’s total procedures. Meanwhile, within the framework of social procurement, 16 procedures were carried out requiring that 5% of employees be unemployed job seekers. In cooperation with AKPA, economic operators have declared over 350 job seekers to be recruited under public contracts procured by CPO.
The savings of around 40 million euros for the state budget clearly indicate that centralized procurement can be a powerful mechanism to ensure smarter use of public funds, greater transparency, and more standardization. In this way, OBP is establishing itself as a modern model of public administration, serving both institutions and citizens.