One of every five tenders in Slovakia over the past 12 months were conducted via an electronic auction according to findings released by Transparency International Slovensko that were published on April 3 and they accounted for 12 percent of the total financial value of all tenders, 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 Transparency International Slovensko director Gabriel Šípoš to TASR.
The aggregate sum involved in e-auctions over the past 12 months was triple the volume of all public procurements previously conducted in this way in Slovakia. E-auctions were used in only 48 state purchases in 2009, with the total sum reaching €9.1 million, Šípoš said.
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 through electronic auctions was €194,000.
"Last year's amendment on public procurements introduced the obligation to use electronic auctions in the purchases of goods and services over €40,000 and in construction work exceeding €200,000," said Šípoš, noting that the limits were raised at the beginning of 2012.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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