The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution on the implementation of an experimental project regarding the development of innovation activities for defence needs under the legal regime of martial law. The document is aimed at eliminating the problem of unsystematic and uncontrolled arrival of innovative products to combat units due to the lack of a proper legal procedure.
The resolution introduces a mechanism that provides for:
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The right of the Ministry of Defense to carry out operational procurement of innovative products under a simplified procedure;
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conducting combat testing of such products by units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, followed by their decision on their practical effectiveness;
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Inclusion in the supply needs of innovative solutions exclusively based on confirmed effectiveness in real combat conditions.
The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) joined the formation of a clear and transparent procedure for the implementation of the experimental project by conducting an anti-corruption expertise of the relevant draft resolution.
Thus, in the conclusion of the anti-corruption expertise, the NACP identified a corruption-producing factor consisting of the lack of regulation regarding the grounds and procedure for deciding on the expediency of purchasing innovative products. In particular, the mandatory content of such a decision and the procedure for determining the need to purchase a specific innovative defence product were not defined, which introduced a non-transparent mechanism for the practical implementation of the provisions of the resolution.
Based on the results of the joint refinement of the document by the NACP and the Ministry of Defense, the Agency's recommendation to eliminate the identified corruption-producing factor was fully taken into account.
As a reminder, earlier in the study of corruption risks during the procurement of unmanned systems and electronic warfare (EW) equipment, the NACP also identified a corruption risk associated with the lack of a unified approach to the introduction of innovative models of UAVs and EW equipment, and recommended, in particular, to develop and approve a clear and transparent procedure for testing and subsequent procurement of innovative products, taking into account the principle of competitiveness.
The adopted experimental project complies with the recommendations of the NACP, and taking into account the vector towards minimising corruption risks, contributes to building integrity and implementing international standards in the field of security and defence.
