Colloquium on suspension and debarment: towards an integrative approach?

On Tuesday, October 9th, the World Bank will host a Colloquium on Suspension and Debarment, a tool used to “blacklist” non-responsible, corrupt or otherwise unqualified contractors. The event is open to the public (with registration) and will be held at the World Bank HQ in Washington, D.C. 

The goal of this event is to exchange lessons on best practices and address common corruption issues together. Panelists will discuss suspension & debarment in the U.S. federal procurement system, the European Union, India, and multilateral development bank (MDB) procurement. Participants will compare the debarment systems, discuss possible common approaches and areas of cooperation, and offer suggestions regarding how to improve anti-corruption efforts worldwide (full agenda provided below).

The location is the World Bank Preston Auditorium, 1818 H Street NW, Washington D.C. 20433.

The event is free but all participants must be registered in order to enter the premises. Please RSVP to [email protected]. Valid photo ID is required. For assistance, please call 202-458-1944.

Can’t attend in person? You can dial in at +1 202-414-3522 OR +1 202-414-3524. You’ll be able to hear the speakers and participate in the discussion. If you dial in, please adjust your phone settings to “Mute” while others are talking.

The event is presented in cooperation with:

• The World Bank: Legal Vice Presidency; Sanctions Board; Office of Evaluation and Suspension; Governance & Anti-Corruption (GAC) Secretariat

• The George Washington University Law School: Government Procurement Law Program

• International Bar Association: Public and Professional Interest Division, Anti-Corruption Committee

• ABA Section of International Law: Anti-Corruption Committee & International Procurement Committee

• ABA Section of Public Contract Law: Debarment & Suspension Committee & International Procurement Committee

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Jessica Tillipman is a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog. Her previous posts on the U.S. Suspension & Debarment system can be found here.

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Here’s the full agenda of the World Bank’s October 9th Colloquium on Suspension and Debarment:

8:00-9:00a.m.   Doors open for registration and light breakfast served

9:00-9:10a.m.   Welcoming Remarks

• Pascale Helene DuBois, Sanctions Evaluation and Suspension Officer, World Bank

9:10-9:20a.m.   Introduction

• Hassane Cisse, Deputy General Counsel, Knowledge and Research, World Bank; Member, Sanctions Board, World Bank 

9:20-10:05a.m.   Roundtable 1: United States Suspension & Debarment System

• Moderator: Steven L. Schooner, Nash & Cibinic Professor of Government Procurement Law and Co-Director of the Government Procurement Law Program, The George Washington University Law School
• Stuart Kerr, Director, Legal and Regulatory, Millennium Challenge Corporation
• Steven A. Shaw, Senior Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP and Former Deputy General Counsel for Contractor Responsibility, U.S. Department of the Air Force
• Jessica Tillipman, Assistant Dean for Field Placement and Professorial Lecturer in Law, The George Washington University Law School and Contributing Editor of the FCPA Blog

10:05-10:50a.m.   Roundtable 2: International Suspension and Debarment Systems 

• Moderator: Hans-Joachim Priess, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Berlin, Germany
• Christopher R. Yukins, Professor of Government Contracts Law and Co-Director of the Government Procurement Law Program, The George Washington University Law School 
• Caroline Nicholas, Secretary to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group on Procurement, Vienna, Austria
• Laurence Folliot Lalliot, Professor of Public Law, University of Paris, France
• Peter Trepte, Professor, Public Procurement Research Group, University of Nottingham (UK); Littleton Chambers (London); Grayston & Company (Brussels)
• Sandeep Verma, Director (Planning & Coordination), Department of Defense Production (Ministry of Defense, Government of India)

10:50-11:05a.m.   Coffee Break

11:05-11:50a.m.   Roundtable 3: Multilateral Development Bank Suspension and Debarment System

• Moderator: Pascale Helene Dubois, Sanctions Evaluation and Suspension Officer, World Bank 
• Timothy L. Dickinson, Partner, Litigation Department, Paul Hastings LLP
• Frank A. Fariello, Lead Counsel, Operations Policy, Legal Vice Presidency, World Bank
• Elizabeth Lin Forder, Secretary to the Sanctions Board, World Bank
• Andres Rigo Sureda, Member, Sanctions Committee, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Former member, World Bank Sanctions Committee

11:50-12:35p.m.   Roundtable 4: Towards and Integrative Approach?

• Moderator: Daniel I. Gordon, Associate Dean for Government Procurement Law Studies, The George Washington University Law School
• Juan Ronderos, Sanctions Case Officer, Inter-American Development Bank
• Q&A Session with the Roundtable participants and the audience

12:35-2:00p.m.     Informal Lunch Reception