The Mid-Atlantic Russian Business Council is pleased to announce a major upcoming event in Russia, "GOSZAKAZ," an exhibition and informational forum for purchasers and suppliers involved in the state procurement system. MARBC will provide support and organization for the participation by American companies. The forum-exhibition will be held form March 14-16 in the Moscow international exhibition center "Crocus Expo."

The exhibition is organized by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Moscow Association of Entrepreneurs, the Committee on Exhibitions and External Economic Activities of the Moscow Association of Entrepreneurs, and the Union of Entrepreneurs and Veterans of the Organs of Interior Affairs, with the organizational leadership of "InConnect."

The summer of 2005 saw significant changes to the state purchasing system in the Russian Federation. The "Goszakaz" exhibition was already in preparation when a major conference was held by the Russian Federal Government "On Ways to Increase the Effectiveness of Acquiring Goods for State Needs." Legislation growing out of this conference, the new federal law "On Placing Orders for the Delivery of Goods, Completion of Work, and Provision of Services for State and Municipal Requirements," was passed by the State Duma on July 8, 2005, and approved by the Federal Council on July 13, 2005. Prior to this year's legislation, there had been no unified procurement system in the executive branch, and the existing collection of federal laws supported a noticeable quantity of contrasting norms. The new law was designed to systemize existing legislation, supply mechanisms for promoting transparency, increase legal conscientiousness in the competitions for contracts, reduce waste, eliminate opportunities for misuse and corruption, and to bring the legislation of the Russian Federation into line with international legal norms.

The major goals for the forum-exhibition "Goszakaz 2006" are to organize a space for sharing practical experience in the realization of state contracts for goods and services, to allow discussion of the future development of Russian federal legislation in the field of state procurement, and to initiate a dialogue between state purchasers and business circles engaged in the production of goods and services of interest to state budgetary organization.

For state purchasers, interested in increasing competition and participation, it is vital to share information on planned purchases and sources of information about future planned purchases, information the organizational structure of executive agencies and their divisions responsible for holding competitions, and methodological information on the competition process, including examples of necessary documents. Similarly, for entrepreneurs are interested in producing for state and municipal needs, it is necessary to explain the terminology and prices for the goods and services they are offering, with the perspective of including their products in the united federal register of state purchases and contracts. Exhibitors also benefit from the opportunity to participate in the business program at the conference. Most importantly, the conference as a whole serves to promote business meetings of representatives of various executive organs, and to direct state purchasers to national producers of goods and services.

With these goals in mind, the forum's participants must include a broad spectrum of representatives from state executive organs, on both the federal and municipal level, and private enterprise. Industries invited to participate in the forum-exhibition include all those producing products in which any of the state budgetary organizations would be interested. Among these are producers of office supplies, organizational technology, electrical equipment, sanitation equipment, transportation services, construction services, publicity services, software development, medical services and producers of medical equipment, etc.

The Exposition will take place in Pavilion 2, hall 11 of the Moscow Exhibition Center "Crocus Expo." The general exhibition space is 8,620 square meters. A business program portion of the forum-exhibition is planned for the third day. The program will include the scientific-practical conference: "State Procurement: Current Status, Problems, and Perspectives" within which there will be a series of thematic round tables. The themes of the round tables will address questions on information technology in state procurement, practicalities of the organizations and direction of competitions, volume of experience of the normative regulation of state procurement, and the role non-governmental organizations in the sphere of state procurement. The business program will also include seminars, consulting centers, and business meetings between representatives of executive organs and producers of goods and services.

For further information on American participation in "Goszakaz" forum-exhibition and other trade fair events in Russia and America, please contact Val Kogan, Mid-Atlantic-Russia Business Council, by phone: (215) 708-2628, email: val@ma-rbc.org, or visit the MARBC website at: http://www.ma-rbc.org.

About Mid-Atlantic - Russia Business Council. Since 1994, MARBC has worked to foster business relations between Russia and the Newly Independent States (NIS), and the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region, while cultivating mutual appreciation of political, economic, cultural, and educational interests. Throughout the past ten years, the goal of MARBC has been to enable companies based in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region to enhance their positions in Russia and the NIS, and to attract Russian businesses to the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region.