Romanian Public Procurement Watchdog Limits Duties Of Management Authorities

Management authorities will no longer ask private companies to register in the Public Procurement Electronic System (SEAP), have a procurement department or follow public procurement procedures when carrying out projects financed with structural funds.

Management authorities will check only a limited set of EU-funded contract awarding criteria and only if public procurement procedures are not subject to checkups by public procurement checkup body UCVAP.

The new norms will apply to public procurement contracts, service or works concession contracts financed with structural funds.

Government Ordinance 34/2006 regarding public procurement will apply to private companies only in the case of service and works contracts over 50% financed or subsidized by the state, of construction contracts worth more than EUR4.8 million or service contracts whose value exceed EUR193,000.

The new regulations are stated in an order issued by ANRMAP president Cristina Traila.

According to Traila, the measure was taken as management authorities extended to private companies, without legal grounds, the provisions of the 34/2006 ordinance, which apply only to contracting authorities. This situation hindered the implementation of contracts financed with structural funds, said Traila.

Management authorities will check whether contracting authorities evaluated bids based on the selection criteria stated in the auction participation announcement or if contract awarding criteria were observed.