Quality over price as Poland tweaks public procurement rules

New public procurement rules took effect in Poland at the start of this year, prioritizing quality over price in the purchase of goods and services by institutions, officials have said.

Marek Niedużak, a Polish deputy minister for economic development, labor and technology.

Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

Under the new rules, public institutions, instead of being guided solely by the lowest-price criterion, “will pay more attention to the quality of goods and services as well as their impact on the environment, the economy, and society," according to a statement by experts from the Polish Ministry of Economic Development, Labor and Technology.

The ministry's Marek Niedużak has told reporters that the new rules aim to simplify public procurement procedures and give a stronger bargaining position to small and medium-sized businesses seeking government tenders.

Poland’s public procurement market is estimated to be worth around PLN 200 billion (EUR 45 billion, USD 55 billion) annually, or roughly 10 percent of the country’s GDP, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency has reported.

(gs/pk)

Source: IAR