Czech Minister for Regional Development Věra Jourová has said a technical amendment to the current Act on Public Procurement should take effect from 1 January 2015. The amendment will precede the adoption of the new Public Procurement Act, which is expected to come into force by 1 January 2016. The purpose of that new statute is to implement recently adopted European directives. In contrast, the technical amendment seeks to clarify the definition of “additional work” along with conditions for submissions to the Office for the Protection of Competition. This should help prevent obstructive filings. The Ministry for Regional Development is also considering including an option in the amendment to complete tender proceedings in cases where only one bid has been received. Other proposed content could refine the use of the so-called in-house exception, which allows contracting authorities to procure from suppliers that they established themselves. The new Act on Public Procurement will focus on the selection of suppliers based on quality and benefits criteria that reflect environmental and social concerns.
