Behrova: Electronisation of Public Procurement Half-way Complete

Behrova: Electronisation of Public Procurement Half-way Complete

Bratislava, November 14 (TASR) – The process of public procurement electronisation in Slovakia is half-way complete, Interior Minister Robert Kalinak’s advisor Tatiana Behrova said at an international congress called ITAPA 2016 in Bratislava on Monday.

Slovakia has learned to work with electronic commissions in the past two years thanks to the so-called electronic marketplace, with announcers already being able to publish tenders properly and bidders equally able to submit their offers.

The so-called under-limit commissions have been made electronic, she noted. “Those above the limit, meanwhile, have been made electronic to a relatively little extent so far. Electronic instruments for this type of commission are being used only voluntarily and partially. Meanwhile, there are several state and private instruments making public procurement electronic,” Behrova told TASR, adding that when the electronic system is properly and easily applied also for above-limit commissions, “we’ll have won” in terms of the transparency of public procurement.

According to Behrova, more than 53,000 under-limit commissions have been concluded via the electronic marketplace since it was launched two years ago. “As many as 48,000 commissions are below the value of €20,000 each. Nobody knew anything of them before the marketplace was launched,” noted Behrova. The number of registered procurers is 6,700.

Of 14,000 registered suppliers, 1,500 regularly take part in tenders, while 4,000 have taken part at least in an electronic tender. Meanwhile, there are 622,000 businesses in Slovakia, according to the Statistics Office. “Even though the average number of bidders is four, there’s still room for much greater economic competition,” said Behrova.

As of October 2018, all commissions, including those above prescribed limits, will have to be announced via the electronic marketplace.