Fifth International Debarment Colloquium

The Office of Suspension and Debarment is excited to announce a virtual version of the Fifth International Debarment Colloquium in late September and early October 2020.

Join representatives from multilateral organizations, government, private sector, non-governmental organizations, and academia for four virtual webinars over four consecutive weeks at 10 AM – 11.15 AM EST, starting on September 22 and continuing through September 30, October 6, and October 13, 2020.

Katarzyna Kuźma, Partner in DZP’s Infrastructure & Energy Practice, will participate in the third roundtable entitled “The “Other” Grounds: A Look at Performance- and Capacity-Based Debarments.”, to be held on October 6, 2020 at 10AM – 11:15AM EST, and dr Wojciech Hartung, Counsel in  DZP’s Infrastructure & Energy Practice will participate in the fourth roundtable entitled: “Is Debarment Anti-Competitive?: The Contexts of Competition Law and International Development”, to be held on October 13, 2020 at 10AM – 11:15AM EST.

Roundtable 3: The "Other" Grounds: A Look at Performance- and Capacity-Based Debarments

Tuesday, October 6, 10 AM – 11:15AM EST

Panelists will discuss the use of suspension and debarment based on a supplier’s lack of capacity or failure to perform.  In the international context, debarment is often viewed as a tool to address fraud, corruption, and other instances of misconduct.  But in many debarment systems around the world, suppliers could face debarment for a wide range of reasons, not all of which relate to the supplier’s integrity.  To what extent do debarments differ when based on a supplier’s capacity or failure to perform?

Moderator and confirmed speakers of the 3^rd roundtable:

• Moderator:  Steven L. Schooner, Nash & Cibinic Professor of Government Procurement Law, The George Washington University Law School (Washington DC)
• Belita Manka, Senior Counsel, World Bank Legal Procurement (Washington DC)

• Michal Kania, Professor, Silesian University (Poland)

• Duc Nguyen, Senior Debarring Official, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Washington DC)

• Katarzyna Kuźma, Partner, Domański Zakrzewski Palinka sp. k., (Poland)

Roundtable 4: Is Debarment Anti-Competitive?: The Contexts of Competition Law and International Development

Tuesday, October 13, 10 AM – 11:15AM EST

Panelists will discuss the growing relevance of competition law in the context of debarment.  Price fixing, bid rigging, and other collusive behavior have long been common reasons to exclude a supplier from the procurement marketplace.  At the same time, the decision to debar a supplier can itself impact the competitive nature of the marketplace and the availability of contractors.  Do the potentially anti-competitive effects of debarment impact the broader goals of procurement?  What are the main challenges facing procurement systems, both at the national level and among multilateral development banks (MDBs), to protect against anti-competitive behavior by suppliers?  What other potential remedies besides debarment are available to these systems?

• Moderator:  William Kovacic, Professor, GW Law School (Washington DC)
• Smokin Wanjala, AfDB Sanctions Commissioner, Judge at the Supreme Court of Kenya (Kenya)
• Paul Kearney, Chief Counsel & Enforcement Commissioner, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (United Kingdom)
• Songezo Mabece, Attorney, Competition Commission of South Africa (South Africa)
• Wojciech Hartung, Counsel, Domański Zakrzewski Palinka sp. k. (Poland)

The virtual events are free of charge and are suitable for both general participants and experts.

The registration form and Congress programme can be found on the organiser’s website: https://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2019/11/04/fifth-suspension-and-debarment-colloquium#1