Promotion of Responsible Procurement in the Slovak Republic

The Law on Public Procurement No. 345/2015 Coll., and its subsequent amendments, governs the Slovak public procurement system. In line with the 2014 European Directives, it provides a framework allowing for a more strategic approach to public procurement. Yet, while opportunities to leverage public procurement purchasing power have increased, Slovak contracting authorities still mostly rely on the lowest price criteria to award public contracts.

This unidimensional criterion prevents contracting authorities to pursue through public procurement broader policy objectives and accounting for other dimensions when purchasing goods, works or services. Further, the limited use of criteria that take into account additional dimensions beyond price also prevents the public sector to seek innovative solutions which could be provided by the market.

The Government of the Slovak Republic and the European Economic Area Financial Mechanisms (the EEA) called upon the OECD to assist in reforming public procurement practices in the country. The objective of this project is to contribute to a more effective public procurement system in Slovakia, mainly through strengthening the application of the value for money principle including the Most Economically Advantageous Tenders (MEAT) in procurement procedures.  

To achieve this objective, the OECD will notably:

1. Analyse current practices in using MEAT criteria in public procurement procedures and develop recommendations to overcome existing barriers.
2. Develop practical guidance and actionable tools to support the Public Procurement Office (PPO) in its advisory capacity to mainstream the use of MEAT criteria in public tenders.
3. Carry out capacity building and awareness-raising activities to ensure effective implementation of the project.