The thirtieth anniversary of Public Procurement in Albania was marked today with a dedicated event attended by representatives of national institutions international partners and procurement professionals who came together to discuss progress challenges and the future direction of the sector.

This anniversary represents an important milestone for Albania’s Public Procurement system a sector that has undergone a fundamental transformation over the past decades reflecting the sustained commitment of Albanian institutions to guarantee integrity transparency and efficiency. Prime Minister Rama was also present at the event.

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Prime Minister Edi Rama:

Greetings,

I came here today with genuine pleasure because we are speaking about a profound transformation that deserves to be highlighted and communicated clearly in an environment heavily poisoned by politics by half truths that often become the biggest lies as well as by isolated episodes that in fact demonstrate the full determination of the Albanian state to fight the deeply rooted problem of corruption on every front. These episodes in no way prove that our progress in combating corruption is questionable. On the contrary our progress is undeniable. The data from recent years procedures clearly show a visible difference compared to several years ago.

This difference is not a coincidence. It is the result of exceptional work led by the Public Procurement Agency and I want to underline in particular the leadership of the Agency’s Director Rejda and of course the work of her team. In recent years the Public Procurement Commission has joined this effort making Albania a leader in our region for integrity and efficiency in public procurement as also emphasized by our distinguished partner from the World Bank.

This fact is clearly recognized in Sigma’s monitoring report which ranked Albania first in the Western Balkans with a strong lead over other countries for the performance of its public procurement system. Such a result would have been unthinkable not many years ago. Today it stands as evidence of the reform efforts I just mentioned.

Let me stress another point. The monitoring conducted by specialized institutions working for the European Union is not based on public perception questionable surveys or insufficient scientific data. Therefore, the Sigma evaluation is not simply a technical assessment despite attempts by some to downplay its importance. It is a direct reflection of the results of a continuous modernization reform of the entire procurement system. The European Union’s clearly positive stance toward the Public Procurement chapter during the opening of negotiations for the Fundamentals Cluster speaks louder than any commentary. We know very well that assessments from the European Commission are not driven by generosity or sentiment. These are evaluations made by people who leave their hearts at home when they sit at the table and who measure rigorously the integrity of procedures and of the individuals behind them. This creates a constant challenge for us but also a strong motivation. It proves that we can succeed even in areas once thought impossible including the creation of a system resistant not only to corruption but also to the overwhelming density of personal connections that make our region a particularly challenging neighborhood for building an impartial state.

At the same time, we are continuing the reform because we want not only to advance further but to go as far as today’s technological possibilities allow. Technology and artificial intelligence are real gifts of a new era for countries like ours where historical delays can be overcome through the exponential power of technological progress. In a world that once moved linearly our ambitions would naturally have to be more modest.

Today we are at an advanced stage of transitioning the entire procurement process to artificial intelligence with a very high percentage of the workflow no longer involving human intervention. You have all heard of Diella. Diella has become a global phenomenon and based on the interest she has generated worldwide. You have also heard the sceptics who argue that algorithms too can be manipulated and controlled.

It is surprising that even individuals with extensive knowledge in the field like Eric Schmidt with whom I had a public exchange in the New York Times raise this concern. What is simple to clarify is that Diella will not operate outside the view of all interested stakeholders. Every step will remain fully auditable. The entire artificial intelligence based digital process will still comply with all legal requirements for documentation and anyone who wishes to review the process manually will be able to do so. Nothing that emerges from the system will be untraceable.

Ultimately the final decision will continue to be made by the competent commission based on all the information provided by Diella. But if we consider the dramatic reduction in processing time and the extraordinary speed at which data will be collected and processed no longer by operators but directly by Diella on their behalf, the efficiency gains will be in line with the broader impact we have already seen from artificial intelligence.

Allow me to add one final point. What I have learned throughout this process is that procurement is a field requiring a very high level of professional preparation. Procurement requires expertise, moral integrity and high professional integrity. Our challenge has been enormous given that thousands of procurements take place each year in Albania involving thousands of individuals. They must not only be honest but also professionally capable. Many shortcomings we have observed are not linked to corruption but to a lack of expertise. This is why we have invested heavily in training standardized protocols and strong interaction between the Public Procurement Agency and the Public Procurement Commission.

This is also why in the past year we have implemented a fundamental shift by removing procurement responsibilities from the first level of government ministries and main agencies and transferring them entirely to the Central Purchasing Operator which will evolve into a specialized high-level institution for procurement expertise in Albania.

Thank you for your patience and attention.