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The International Public Procurement Association (IPPA) Conference will take place in Hong Kong for the first time from April 16 to 19.

The tenth in the series of conferences run under the auspices of the IPPA, the Conference will be hosted by the Government Supplies Department and will be held in Island Shangri-La Hotel in Queensway.

The IPPA was formed in 1986 to bring together heads of public sector purchasing organisations and others with responsibility for purchasing policy and practice at senior levels of government.

"Through the exchange of views and sharing of experience, the IPPA seeks to contribute to promoting the highest standards of professionalism and best practice in the public sector and to ensure that the purchasers' perspective exerts proper influence on the formulation of policies affecting purchasing at the national and international levels," the Director of Government Supplies, Mr Nigel Shipman, who is also the current President of the IPPA, said.

The IPPA holds conferences at intervals of about 18 months. These conferences have grown both in the number of participants and the countries from which they are drawn.

In the forthcoming conference, about 70 delegates from 29 countries and three international organisations will be attending. A number of speakers will present papers on subjects of general interest. Among the themes are Public procurement and economic development in developing nations, Ethics in procurement, Environmental factors, Information technology in government procurement and Human resources for global procurement.

Mr Shipman will make a presentation on the Government Supplies Department's Electronic Tendering System that was launched on April 7 this year.

The Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, will deliver the opening address on April 17. When the conference ends on April 19, the Secretary for the Treasury, Miss Denise Yue, will make a closing speech.

For details on the IPPA, please visit the IPPA website at http://www.ippa.org.hk

END/Tuesday, April 11, 2000

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