EIPA (European Institute of Public Administration) training session featuring a CEUTP expert

With the support of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) and the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA – Lithuania) organised a hybrid training session in Athens on 29–30 October, focusing on strategic procurement and the prevention of the most common errors in public procurement within the framework of the EU’s cohesion policy for 2021–2027.

The first part of the meeting, led by Mr Harald Versteeg (Sustainability Manager, Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Netherlands), was devoted to the topic of strategic procurement, which requires further support under the EU’s cohesion policy through the removal of various barriers, such as legal restrictions, difficulties in cooperating with the private sector, as well as resistance to change or a reluctance to take risks within the administration. The presenter focused on the practical aspects of the issue through a presentation on the ‘Dubocalc’ and ‘CO₂ Ladder’ (CO₂-prestatieladder) tools and engaged the audience with exercises relating to the Environmental Cost Indicator.

On both the first and second days of the meeting, attention was also focused on practical ways of tackling recurring errors in public procurement through more effective prevention and early detection of irregularities, thereby avoiding financial corrections that are particularly onerous for beneficiaries.

Ms Laura Kuoraitė (Expert, Central Project Management Agency (CPVA), Lithuania) and Mr Przemysław Ostrowski (Expert, Control and Audit Department, CEUTP and one of the leaders within the DG REGIO Peer2Peer Public Procurement group) shared their expertise, supported by specific examples and exercises, on estimating contract value, describing subject matter of the contract, utilising capacity of third parties, conditions for participation in the procedure, criteria for evaluating tenders, and amendments to public procurement contracts.

The programme also included a session on the links between public procurement and state aid, led by Mr Kevin Deceuninck (European Court of Auditors (ECA)) and Ms Emanuela Andersson from Sweden (Expert, Swedish Managing Authority). The key question the training participants sought to answer was: are public funds spent on market terms?

This training session confirmed the value of cooperation between the EU and its Member States, as well as the interest and commitment of the participants (it should be emphasised that a total of 141 participants registered for the training) when specific topics were presented – examples (including the second day of the meeting, when the group worked together with the trainer, Mr Przemysław Ostrowski, and the discussion moderator, Mr Marco Lopriore, EIPA).

Furthermore, next year a training course covering the same topics will be held in Sofia (Bulgaria) for representatives of Bulgarian programmes receiving support from the European Union.

The CEUTP expert’s participation provided another opportunity to present Polish experiences and good practices on an international forum. It also served as confirmation of the CEUTP’s expert standing in the field of public procurement oversight, as well as recognition of our institution’s knowledge and experience in this area.