Spending public money wisely means more than organizing an auction to get the lowest price, said Stella Ronner-Grubačić (picture, right), Dutch ambassador in Bucharest, in a conference on public acquisitions.

The state needs to consider other criteria too, such as the life cycle of the acquired product, or if the product is environmentally friendly. Both the economy and the citizens need to benefit from public procurements, she added, reports local Mediafax.

The private sector should become the state’s partner on public acquisitions, the ambassador concluded.

Stella Ronner-Grubačić recently started as the Netherlands’ ambassador to Romania and Moldova.

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