Romania’s Public Spending Cuts To Reduce No. Of Auction Contestations In 2010

The number of contestations filed with the Council rose 33.6%, to 1,711, on the year in the first quarter of 2010. The Council solved 1,874 contestations in the first three months of 2010, up 28% on the year, considering that the number of employees was the same as in 2008. In 2009, a total of 9,218 contestations were filed with the Council, up 41.5% on the year.

According to Council head Lehel Lorand Bogdan, of over 7,360 settling decisions issued by the Council in 2009, a total of 784 decisions, or 10.7%, were challenged with the Court of Appeals, which allowed only 89 appeals, accounting for 1.2% of total settling decisions issued by the Council in 2009.

He added that 34% of contestations filed in 2010 target the documentation required for the assignment of public contracts and 66% of contestations target the outcome of assignment procedures for public contracts. According to Bogdan, most contestations are filed for auctions targeting infrastructure works (roads, utilities), because the Romanian state „has assigned the highest sums of money for this field over the past years.”

Bogdan also said that, a few years ago, foreign companies were not interested in local auctions at all, especially in small auctions, but stressed that things have gradually changed and foreign companies actively partake in nearly all auctions.

The Council, set up on the basis of Government Emergency Ordinance 34/2006, is an independent institution with administrative-jurisdictional activities and settles contestations targeting public procurement procedures.

The Council employs nearly 100 people, of whom, 30 advisers unfolding their activity in ten contestation settling panels.