The “Symposium on Dispute Resolution in Public Procurement Contracts and Recent Developments” was successfully organized through the cooperation of the Ibn Haldun University Dispute Resolution Application and Research Center (UÇAM), the Turkish Arbitration Academy, the Public Procurement Authority, and the Istanbul Finance Center. The symposium was held at the Istanbul Finance Center – Halkbank Head Office Conference Hall and brought together representatives from the judiciary, public institutions, academia, and legal practice, contributing to a comprehensive discussion of dispute resolution mechanisms in public procurement contracts and current legal developments in the field.
The event was conducted in three sessions, during which judicial decisions, recent legislative amendments, practical challenges, and proposed solutions concerning the resolution of disputes arising from public procurement contracts were discussed in light of academic evaluations.
The opening speeches of the symposium were delivered by Av. Hasan Ali Kulak, Director of Legal and Public Affairs at the Istanbul Finance Center; Prof. Dr. Yeliz Bozkurt Gümrükçüoğlu, Vice Rector of Ibn Haldun University and Director of UÇAM; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eda Manav Özdemir, Head of the Department of Law and Legislation at the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye General Secretariat and Member of the Coordination Board of the Turkish Arbitration Academy; and Mehmet Bıçkıcı, Second President of the Public Procurement Authority.
The first session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Melikşah Yasin, Member of the Presidential Board of Legal Policies. During this session, Dr. Hasan Gül, President of the 13th Chamber of the Council of State, delivered a presentation titled “The Impact of Administrative Judicial Decisions on Ongoing Contracts”; Ceyhan Çelik, Head of the Regulatory Department of the Public Procurement Authority, presented on “Recent Legislative Amendments Concerning Public Procurement Contracts”; and Av. Özkan Doğan, Legal Counsel of TOKİ Istanbul, addressed “The Distinction Between Administrative and Judicial Jurisdiction in Disputes Arising from Public Procurement Contracts.”
The second session was chaired by Adem Albayrak, First Deputy President of the Court of Cassation and President of the General Assembly of Civil Chambers. In this session, Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker, Dean of Istanbul Commerce University Faculty of Law, presented on “The Scope of Application of the Turkish Code of Obligations in Contracts Formed Through Public Tender”; Belkıs Karakaş, Member of the 6th Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation, delivered a presentation titled “Disputes Arising from Price Differences”; and Dr. Erdem Bafra, Head of the Legal Services Department of the Public Procurement Authority, presented on “The Assignment of Public Procurement Contracts.” Through their presentations, the speakers addressed the legal problems arising in contracts concluded through public tender, controversial issues in practice, and proposed solutions.
The final session was chaired by Abdullah Yaman, President of the 11th Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation. This session focused on the arbitrability of public procurement contracts and the role of the High Technical Board in dispute resolution. Doğan Ağırman, Member of the 6th Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation, delivered a presentation titled “The Arbitrability of Public Procurement Contracts”; Prof. Dr. Ali Yeşilırmak presented on “Resolution of Disputes to Which the Public Is a Party Through Arbitration”; and Muhammet Ali Yıldızbakan, Member of the High Technical Board, presented on “The Role of the High Technical Board in the Resolution of Disputes Arising from Public Procurement Contracts.”
The symposium contributed to a multidimensional assessment of recent developments in the resolution of disputes related to public procurement contracts and strengthened the exchange of knowledge and experience among the judiciary, academia, and legal practice.
