The impact of evaluation and qualification criteria on Iraqi electromechanical power plants in construction contracts

Abstract

Abstract The Ministry of Electricity (MoE) is one of Iraq’s most significant sectoral ministries. Despite massive amount invested in power generation, the country is plagued by power outages for more than three decades. One of the most common sources of the problem and significant impact on the waste of public funds in contractual processes. The Ministry of Planning issued regulations and procedures to facilitate the implementation of power plants by applying the sectorial standard bidding documents (SSBD) of design, supply, and installation of the electromechanical project to support MoE by developing economic projects that lead to raising Iraqi electricity generation field. The research evaluates the government evaluation procedures applied in SSBD and their impact on Iraqi power plant contracts. The study’s principal data gathering approaches via interviews with consultants resulted in a structured questionnaire that includes 25 criteria delivered to MoE’s senior staff. One hundred respondents out of 120. The relative importance index was applied to rank and match respondent consensus on the relevance of the 25 factors. This article’s primary conclusion is weak evaluation of SSBD criteria and inadequate bid evaluations, resulting in an ineffective procurement system, and the results aim to encourage MoE’s decision-makers to optimize the criteria.