Now in its third reading, the bill to amend the Public Procurement Act has as its principal goals the simplification and greater flexibility of procurement proceedings based on the following proposed changes: the limit on “extra work” should rise from 20% to 50% of the original price of the contract. This would mean that a contracting authority could commission its original supplier to provide additional building work or services within the scope of the negotiated framework without making any public announcement. By removing the duty to cancel the procurement process in cases where there is only one bid, the bill would cover situations where a public tender would otherwise need to be postponed solely because of the insufficient number of suitable candidates. The tender evaluation process should also change significantly under the bill, with the price being overridden as the main determining factor when selecting the best offer. An additional proposed change is the limiting of the duty to hold a public tender when awarding contracts for legal services. After the amendment, it should no longer be necessary to hold a public tender when arranging representation before domestic courts or in international arbitration or any additional legal services related to performing public administration.
The amendment has prompted an exchange of opinions in the Chamber of Deputies regarding contracts for legal services. The Economic Committee proposed that no public procurement process was needed when arranging legal representation before domestic courts or in international arbitration. The Minister for Regional Development rejected this proposal. The Committee also suggested an exemption from the Public Procurement Act for legal services with an expected value under EUR 750,000 (approximately CZK 20.7 million) for a public contracting authority or under EUR 1 million (approximately CZK 27.6 million) for a contracting authority in the sector. According to the Minister for Regional Development, these amounts are too high.