A press conference was held on Thursday, March 13, on the first successful year of the CPO’s operation, in the framework of transparency towards the public to create an open dialogue and communication with the media in the country.
In his speech, the Minister of Economy, Culture and Innovation, Mr. Blendi Gonxhe, described the central purchasing body CPO as healthy for the country’s economy, emphasizing competitiveness, transparency, and efficient management of funds. He also mentioned technological innovations, such as the AlbZone platform and the “Register as an Economic Operator” category, and expressed his support for further development through E-Albzone. In his speech, he highlighted the achievements of the CPO, which, among other things, has achieved 20.4 million euros in state budget savings, 76% more funds procured compared to 2023, as well as 46% more procedures developed than in 2023. He added that the CPO has enabled increased competitiveness, with an average of 4.7 operators per tender, compared to 2.7 in 2023.
The CPO Administrator, Ms. Arlinda Pogaj, in her speech emphasized the two main directions of the CPO’s work, which consist of the daily management of procurement procedures, enabling transparency and efficiency in every procurement followed, as well as in building a vision for the future, focusing on Innovation, digitalization and optimization of processes to transform the public procurement system.
Among other things, Ms. Pogaj highlighted as the main achievements of CPO in the first year:
✅ Technical assistance from UNOPS – Implementation of international best practices.
✅ Creation of AlbZone – An innovative digital platform for ordering goods from public institutions.
✅ Development of the goods catalog – Standardization of products and prices for more transparency and convenience.
✅ Optimization of procurement time – Drastic reduction of time from months to minutes for all requests.
✅ Saving 20.4 million euros in public finances in just 8 months.
✅ Expanding cooperation with public institutions to maximize the impact of CPO.
She added that CPO is also positively influencing the community through social procurement, where through the agreement with AKPA – Procurements are not just technical procedures, but a mechanism for employment and social integration. This agreement consists of including job seekers in public contracts, enabling vulnerable groups to be employed in every tender.
- Ms. Pogaj also shared with the attendees her vision for the future, highlighting:
- Full digitalization of procurement – Development of the e-AlbZone platform for direct online purchases.
- Increased transparency and competition – More economic operators involved.
- Expansion of catalogs with unified goods and services.
- Preparation of a 3-year OBP development strategy.
- Strengthening staff capacities – Training and international technical assistance.
