Radu Marian
Amendments to the Law on Public Procurement came into force that allow public institutions to take into account not only price, but also sustainability, social and economic aspects of proposals in tenders. When selecting a winner in public procurement, additional points can be awarded to companies that promote balanced regional development, apply short supply chains and minimize logistics costs and CO₂ emissions. The only condition is that these criteria must be relevant to the subject matter of the contract and clearly, transparently and non-discriminatorily described in the procurement documentation.
“In this way, public organizations – schools, hospitals and other public institutions – can give extra points to local producers. When selecting the winner based on the criterion ‘best price-quality ratio’, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as companies located as close as possible to the destination, and which can bring products or goods quickly and without unnecessary intermediaries,” explained Radu Marian, chairman of the parliamentary commission for economy, budget and finance.
According to him, the goal is to have as many public procurements as possible that support the local economy and localities of the country.
The Public Procurement Agency informed all institutions about the new rules and encouraged them to put them into practice.
In the near future, the government and parliament plan to announce additional measures to support local production,” Marian specified.
