The signatory organizations, members of the Initiative for a Clean Justice, greet the Romanian Government’s decision of making public the drafts of the first two laws on public procurement.
At the same time, the signatory organizations demand a 60 days extension for public debate.
The current time frame for public consultation, of only 10 days, expires on the 1st of August and is completely unsuitable for such an important legislative package.
The new law on public procurement, the new law concerning the remedies, procedures of appeal and the organization and functioning of the Council for Solving Complains are crucial legislative acts for a 15 billion Euro per year procurement market.
These new laws transpose the new European directives. They also come to correct the multiple deficiencies of the current legislation – OUG 34/2006, modified more than 20 times through other emergency ordinances. They bring deep changes, introduce new institutions such as the partnerships for innovation, centralized procurement units and procurement services suppliers. They also set the “most economically advantageous tender” as a general criterion of attributing the contract. New rules are also brought, for the third supporting parties, for example.
This is why the public consultation on the new rules on public procurement needs to be real, and not mimed. Next September the Finance Ministry must offer the opportunity for multiple public debates in which the numerous actors interested and affected by these fundamental changes (products and services suppliers, contracting authorities, local and central administration) can express their points of view.
Conierin that the two projects were publicized during a holiday period, we ask the Finance Minister, Eugen Teodorovici, to extend the consultation period until the end of September.
24 iulie 2015
Freedom House România (FHR)
Expert Forum (EFOR)