Cover -- Contents -- Tables and Figures -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Executive Summary -- Introduction -- I. General Role of Procurement Agents in the Public Sector -- II. Procurement Agents and Official Development Assistance -- A. Using Procurement Agents in Projects Financed by Official Development Assistance -- B. Using Procurement Agents in ADB-Financed Projects: Policy and Related Issues -- III. The Regulated Market-Based System in the People's Republic of China -- A. Legal and Institutional Frameworks -- B. Accreditation of Procurement Agents in the People's Republic of China -- C. Analysis: Advantages and Challenges of the People's Republic of China Model -- IV. The Centralized Procurement Agency Model -- A. Case Studies -- V. Conclusion: Basic Considerations for the Future -- A. Developing the Legal, Regulatory, and Institutional Frameworks -- B. Outsourcing Procurement at the Project and Agency Levels -- Appendixes -- 1 Case Studies on the Two Roles of Procurement Agents -- 2 The Success Story of Consip, Italy -- Tables -- 1 Procurement Agent Service Fees Set by the National Development and Reform Commission (as of 2010) (%) -- 2 Certified Procurement Agents in the People's Republic of China, 2010 -- 3 Advantages and Disadvantage of the Centralized and Decentralized Procurement Models -- 4 Differences between Highest and Lowest Prices for Similar Goods in the United Kingdom -- Figures -- 1 Target Time Taken for Single-Stage-One-Envelope International Competitive Bidding -- 2 Actual Average Time Taken for Bid Evaluation by Executing Agencies for Single-Stage-One-Envelope International Competitive Bidding -- 3 Total Value of Public Procurement in the Republic of Korea and the Percentage of Public Procurement Service Pass-Through, 2011.

4 Reduction of the Procurement Budget in the Public Procurement Service through Price Analysis ( million) -- 5 Price Comparison Samples: Private Market Prices versus Multiple Award Schedule Contract Prices -- 6 Price Comparison Samples for Common Use Items: Private Market Prices versus the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management Prices (%) -- 7 Planned Responsibilities for the New Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management Corporate Entity -- 8 Decision Process for Make or Buy, Adapted to Public Procurement.