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The eForms Regulation and Sustainable Public Procurement Data Collection journal article open-access

Nadia-Ariadna Sava

European Procurement & Public Private Partnership Law Review, Volume 18 (2023), Issue 3, Page 177 - 184

As of October 2023, the eForms Regulation will become the mandatory standard for public procurement data collection above the thresholds, including data on sustainability. The eForms have the potential to collect sustainable public procurement data and kickstart the process of monitoring green and social public procurement in all Member States. Nevertheless, in their current form, it is improbable that eForms can achieve this goal, because the Regulation makes all sustainable data collection fields optional. Member States can decide to collect sustainable public procurement data, but they lack proper incentives to do so. Both the European Union and Member States should take on the goal of creating a sustainable public procurement data infrastructure, with each its roles and obligations. Keywords: sustainable public procurement, eForms Regulation, data collection, digitalising public procurement, monitoring.




Should Value for Money Be the Sole Criteria in Opting for PPP Option for Infrastructure Projects? journal article

Victor Izebhor

European Procurement & Public Private Partnership Law Review, Volume 17 (2022), Issue 1, Page 23 - 32

Countries are increasingly using Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to deliver infrastructure projects and there are a number of reasons why governments around the globe utilise PPPs in delivering infrastructure projects amongst which is the financial benefits of the project. In PPP projects, it is necessary for the host government to carry out an analysis to show that the proposed project is a viable venture. It has been argued by various practitioners and academics that the critical question from the government’s viewpoint is whether the project demonstrates good Value for Money (VfM) sometimes also called Value for Investment (VfI). This article examines the concept of VfM, PPPs as distinguished from traditional procurement. It also expatiates on the use and focus of VfM assessment in the PPP decision-making process and puts the VfM analysis into a broader, context by expanding its subsets which is a mix of both quantitative and qualitative analysis and the tools used in assessing if an infrastructure project demonstrates VfM, this paper also looks at the different criticisms, constraints and limitations submitted by different academics, institutions and practitioners on why VfM should not be the only factor to be contemplated in determining if PPP is the best option for delivering infrastructure projects or if the project should be skewed towards traditional infrastructure procurement. The article proffers key recommendations which can guide government institutions, agencies, and industrial sectors in using and improving the VfM analysis. The concluding section answers if VfM should be the sole criteria in reaching the determination of skewing projects towards PPP or Traditional Procurement. Keywords: public-private partnership, traditional public procurement, value for money, public sector comparator, infrastructure finance


Locus Standi and the Interpretation of ‘Interest to Obtain a Particular Contract’ in Public Procurement Remedies journal article free

Marko Turudić

European Procurement & Public Private Partnership Law Review, Volume 17 (2022), Issue 1, Page 14 - 22

Under Directive 1989/665/EEC, locus standi in public procurement remedies is recognised to at least any person having or having had an interest in obtaining a particular contract and who has been or risks being harmed by an alleged infringement. The Croatian Public Procurement Act does not diverge from this definition. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has established expansive and detailed case-law on locus standi, and in particular on what is to be considered a ‘particular contract’ under Article 1(3) of Directive 1989/665/EEC. Unfortunately, the case-law of the State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement Procedures (DKOM) and of the High Administrative Court of the Republic of Croatia (VUSRH) established a much narrower interpretation. This paper aims to analyse relevant case-law of the CJEU, DKOM and VUSRH and explain how has this narrow interpretation of ‘particular contract’ affected the availability of public procurement remedies in Croatia. Keywords: public procurement remedies, locus standi, interpretation of particular contract




Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan: journal article

First Legal Thoughts with Focus on Public Procurement (Part II)

Ricardo Pedro

European Procurement & Public Private Partnership Law Review, Volume 17 (2022), Issue 2, Page 107 - 117

This article analyses the legal framework implemented in Portugal for the execution of its Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). Starting from the analysis of the legal framework offered by the European Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (MRR), it critically analyses the main regulations created on a special or exceptional basis for the implementation of the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan, with emphasis on the governance model, but also on the exceptional measures to facilitate budgetary procedures, expenditure authorisation and staff hiring and also special public procurement measures. As these special and exceptional measures are, as a rule, intended to relax or reduce the mechanisms of prior administrative control of certain procedures, the external control of special public procurement measures by the Portuguese Court of Auditors was strengthened. Lastly, and despite the Portuguese legislator not dedicating special legislation to it, the most appropriate means for resolving any legal disputes arising from the implementation of the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan are addressed. The present article will be divided and published in two parts. The first part will be dedicated to the MRR, Portuguese RRP and special measures for its implementation already with reference to the special procurement measures approved in this context. The second part will be dedicated to the analysis of the special measures for public procurement and the appropriate means for the resolution of possible disputes arising from the execution of the national RRP. In each part we will present the respective conclusions. Keywords: EU Next Generation Funds; Recovery and Resilience Mechanism; Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan; special public procurement measures; administrative arbitration


Existing and Potential Use Cases for Blockchain in Public Procurement journal article

Pedro Telles

European Procurement & Public Private Partnership Law Review, Volume 17 (2022), Issue 3, Page 179 - 189

The purpose of this article is to assess the possibility of using blockchain technology in the realm of public procurement within the EU, particularly in connection with the award of public contracts. In this context, blockchain is used as an umbrella term covering IT technologies and cryptographic solutions used to generate consensus on a distributed ledger. The article will present three real use cases for public procurement in Spain, Colombia and Peru. It will also posit two specific areas of EU public procurement practice that might benefit from the use of blockchain technology – the area of data management and accessibility and in situations of clear lack of confidence in public powers. Keywords: blockchain; use case; public procurement


The UK’s Green Paper on Post-Brexit Public Procurement Reform: journal article

Transformation or Overcomplication?

Albert Sanchez-Graells

European Procurement & Public Private Partnership Law Review, Volume 16 (2021), Issue 1, Page 4 - 18

In December 2020, seeking to start cashing in on its desired ‘Brexit dividends’, the UK Government published the Green Paper ‘Transforming Public Procurement’. The Green Paper sets out a blueprint for the reform of UK public procurement law that aims to depart from the regulatory baseline of EU law and deliver a much-touted ‘bonfire of procurement red tape’. The Green Paper seeks ‘to speed up and simplify [UK] procurement processes, place value for money at their heart, and unleash opportunities for small businesses, charities and social enterprises to innovate in public service delivery’. The Green Paper aims to do so by creating ‘a progressive, modern regime which can adapt to the fastmoving environment in which business operates’ underpinned by ‘a culture of continuous improvement to support more resilient, diverse and innovative supply chains.’ I argue that the Green Paper has very limited transformative potential and that its proposals merely represent an ‘EU law +’ approach to the regulation of public procurement that would only result in an overcomplicated regulatory infrastructure, additional administrative burdens for both public buyers and economic operators, and tensions and contradictions in the oversight model. I conclude that a substantial rethink is needed if the Green Paper’s goals are to be achieved. Keywords: public procurement; reform; deregulation; green paper; transforming public procurement; Brexit