Tightening of checks carried out by Slovak authorities in the process of allocating EU funds and removal of unnecessary formalities are some of the measures designed to eliminate possible future shortcomings in public procurement, according to a report by Slovakia's Public Procurement Office (ÚVO), the TASR newswire wrote.
“The audits by the European Commission (EC) and the European Court of Auditors (ECA) performed within the 2004-06 programme period found errors on the part of public procurers during the process,” wrote ÚVO in the report which will be discussed by the government cabinet at its upcoming session on Wednesday, May 6.
Public procurement could also be aided by fostering better awareness of the expert qualifications of control authorities. According to ÚVO, if ministries that are responsible for operational programmes are interested, reviews by UVO could be carried out even before contracts with successful applicants are concluded.
The most frequent shortcoming identified by the EC and ECA in Slovakia was inappropriate use of criteria in evaluating the bids. According to the audit, the errors in public procurement also included inadequate requirements concerning the experience of companies as well as inappropriate conditions related to the submission of certificates issued by Slovak authorities. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
