São Paulo School of Economics (FGV/EESP), FGV Projetos and the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) just held the First Brazilian Conference Series on Public Procurement and Concession Design - series of conferences held in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília with the aim of encouraging research applied to public procurement and concession designs, and discuss the current model and possible improvements. The first to be held, the event in São Paulo took place on March 22-23 at EESP's auditorium and it focused on theoretical and empirical issues, covering topics such as design of auctions and contracts; efficiency and innovative models for public procurement; methods of selecting suppliers, public-private partnerships and green purchases.On the 24^th and the 25^th, at FGV's main offices in Rio de Janeiro, the conference dealt with political economy, regulatory and institutional environment in public procurement, the influence of corruption and fraud, regulations, norm compliance and other political issues. On the occasion, the Minister of the Comptroller General (CGU), Jorge Hage, spoke about the harmful effects of favoritism and corrupt practices in government purchases. Professor Klenio Barbosa, one of the organizers of the conference, agrees with Hage. We need strong institutional arrangements to fight corruption and the problems for the economy it generates, he said.As for Brasília - the main meeting of the cycle, at the main offices of the Finance Administration School (ESAF) - the discussion was opened to the public and focused on the formulation of public policies, addressing the role of the various branches of government to encourage socioeconomic development and a more transparent, efficient and innovative purchase management. Thanks to the conference, we can say that we understand the best practices, in order to have greater efficiency on public spending in government purchases, said Klenio.Also according to him, the series of meetings brought important findings. In addition to the need for strong institutions, it is noteworthy that the discretion may be useful to the government, provided it is used properly.The conference brought together political authorities, researchers and professionals of FGV, Ipea, Brazilian institutions such as Universidade de São Paulo (USP), PUC-Rio and Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), and international ones, such as Michigan State University, Toulouse School of Economics, Princeton University and Lancaster University.The First Brazilian Conference Series on Public Procurement and Concession Design was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), the Research Support Foundation of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP), the School of Finance Administration (ESAF) and FGV/EPGE - Brazilian School of Economics.