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Public procurement institute Institute of public and regulated procurement, competition policy and anticorruption technologies

The emblem of Public Procurement Institute



The emblem of Public Procurement Institute is executed as a stamp. The emblem has clear division into four equal quarters with a diamond-shaped shield in the centre.

The shield is entwined from both sides with laurel branches symbolizing that merits of the Institute are recognized both by the government and the society. The Cyrillic letters in the shield - "ИГЗ" (Acronym for Public Procurement Institute in Russian) – speak about education as the main activity of the Institute.

     

Symbolic figures in the quarters remind of the history of the competitive purchasing and bidding in the age of Peter The Great (“Admiralty and Shipyard Management Regulations” Chapter 1, clause 15 of 1721 “How to find contractors and settle a deal with them”). The bid procedure in early XVIII century consisted of four steps: 

  • A public declaration (with horn blast and drum beat) of state needs for goods and works for the Russian Navy was announced with details of time, place and form of acceptance required from the interested merchants. The Horn in the left top corner of the emblem is a reminder of that. 

  • On a specified day a candle was lit in the Senate office. The candle burned all day long; the bid participants had to make their proposal while the candle was burning. Candle in the right top corner of the emblem symbolizes that step. 

  • To prevent any fraud, officers with swords protected the office with the lit candle, with at least two people on guard at the same time to prevent bribery. Two swords in the left bottom quarter indicate the deal security. 

  • When the candle burned down, the contract was concluded with the merchant that had proposed the best conditions. A paper scroll with a stamp in the bottom right corner commemorates the contract conclusion. 

The horn, the candle, the swords and the scroll are also a symbol of efficient state procurement: HORN stands for publicity, CANDLE – for transparency, SWORD with a spike down signifies government control, SWORD with a spike up – public control, and finally SCROLL WITH A STAMP symbolizes legitimacy. 

The shield in the centre is framed by the circular inscription "Public Procurement Institute 1998”, the year of the Institute foundation.