Matra Project

The Centre for Legal Empowerment, in collaboration with the Albanian Institutes for Research, is implementing the project “Building Capacities for Sustainable Monitoring of Public Contracts” under the MATRA Program – European Cooperation Embassy Program 2024, with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Albania.

The project addresses systematic challenges in public procurement practices in Albania, with a particular focus on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). In this context, the initiative aims to increase transparency, accountability, and integrity in public procurement processes by establishing a sustainable foundation for citizen engagement and independent monitoring.

Focusing on strengthening the capacities of the new generation through training, awareness-raising, and collaboration with universities, public institutions, and civil society organizations, the project seeks to ensure the implementation of best practices and alignment with European standards in public contract management. This initiative represents an important step towards improving the public procurement system in Albania.

Over the past few months, training sessions have been held for students, journalists, and civil society representatives in the cities of Tirana, Durrës, Shkodër, and Vlorë.

But how can we increase transparency, accountability, and public involvement in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) contracts?

For this, the first steps are being taken towards the establishment of the Observatory of Public Procurement, an initiative designed to empower citizens, journalists, and civil society to monitor public contracts more effectively.

The Training Manual, developed within the framework of the project “Building Sustainable Monitoring Capacity for Public Contracts”, is a concrete step towards this goal.

It provides a practical guide to:

• Understanding the difference between PPPs and public procurement;
• Familiarizing oneself with the legal and institutional procedures for establishing PPPs;
• Monitoring the implementation and quality of contracted services;
• Using the right to information to demand transparency and accountability.

The upcoming observatory will be built on these foundations: knowledge, monitoring, and citizen action.

The manual is now available for anyone who wishes to get involved! Click the link for more: MANUAL-Monitorimi-Partneriteti-Publik-Privat.pdf