Some organizational solutions in the scope of public procurement

Abstract

The efficient organization of public procurement in contracting authorities has a direct impact on the effectiveness of their awarding and performance. The  principle of procurement efficiency has recently been placed in the catalogue of primary statutory principles, due to the persistent difficulties involved in its practical realization, resulting mainly from insufficient knowledge of its legal meaning. Difficulties, including scientific ones, are exacerbated by the necessary coupling of organizational solutions with the requirements of civil, administrative and labour law. For this reason, the aim of the article is to remove the existing cognitive gap, primarily in the scope of the legal meaning of the regulations, foundations and rules of functioning of the tender committee with regard to the position of its manager, the legal nature of individual official orders, and the status of ‘substantively competent’ employees acting on the side of the public contracting authority. This analysis enables several de lege ferenda conclusions and postulates to be formulated. In particular, it is necessary to define the legal meaning of public procurement regulations and instructions being issued to subordinate employees, the legal basis for the criminal and administrative liability of members of the tender committee and ‘substantively  competent employees’, in the name of the principle that the perpetrators are primarily responsible for irregularities, and the manager of the contracting authority at most for negligence of supervision. Moreover, it seems desirable to normalize the status of ‘substantively competent employees’, as more independent, employed taking into account the requirement of the necessary professional knowledge, experience and professional competences, and able to ensure the professional service of public procurement.