New directives on EU public procurement and concession contracts will enter into force on 18 April 2016. This new EU-wide legal framework contains measures to directly enhance transparency and tackle corruption and provides an opportunity to turn public procurement into a strategic policy instrument.
They allow environmental and social considerations, as well as innovation aspects to be taken into account when awarding public contracts. Under the new rules, it will also be easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate in public tenders. These companies have great potential to create jobs and drive innovation. In addition, the rules on conflicts of interest and unlawful conduct will be strengthened to ensure the fair, equitable, transparent and non-discriminatory award of contracts. Finally, the new rules will simplify public procurement procedures and make them more flexible. Specifically:
- public purchasers will be better able to negotiate the terms of contracts with companies to obtain products or services that best suits their needs
- the minimum deadlines for procedures will be shorter
- only the winning company will need to submit all the documentation that proves it qualifies for the contract
- a self-declaration of a company that it fulfils the award conditions will be sufficient to participate in a public tender procedure and will drastically reduce the volume of documents needed for selecting companies
- extended use of e-procurement tools and more streamlined rules for sub-central authorities will lead to smarter and simpler administrative practices.
These new rules for public procurement allow for the best use of taxpayers’ money by providing stronger guarantees for more rigorous procedures and greater potential for growth in the EU. They will benefit public authorities and economic operators, notably SMEs.
Source: Directorate General for Growth – European Commission
The post Preventing corruption & new EU procurement rules appeared first on Octopux.