ONE IN five tenders carried out in Slovakia during the past 12 months was made via an electronic auction, according to findings published by watchdog group Transparency International Slovensko (TIS). In terms of their financial value, e-auctions accounted for 12 percent of the total, the TASR newswire reported.
“Over the 12 months since electronic auctions were made obligatory in the public sector in April 2011, auctions have been used in 764 tenders worth €148 million excluding VAT,” said TIS director Gabriel Šípoš, as quoted by TASR.
He added that the aggregate sum involved in e-auctions over the past 12 months was triple the volume of all public procurements previously carried out in this way in Slovakia. By comparison, e-auctions were used in only 48 state purchases in 2009, with the total sum reaching €9.1 million.
During the last 12 months, e-auctions were primarily used for the purchase of medical goods and for hotel and catering services, with these two groups making up nearly half of the volume of all auctions. The average sum for procurements made through electronic auctions was €194,000.
“Last year’s amendment on public procurement introduced the obligation to use electronic auctions in purchases of goods and services over €40,000 and in construction work exceeding €200,000,” said Šípoš, as quoted by TASR, noting that the limits were raised at the beginning of 2012.
