15 Amendments of Rolandas PAKSAS related to 2011/2048(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the fact that the Commission regards public procurement as an important component in achieving the targets of the EU 2020 Strategy; supports the Commission’s intention to make public procurement procedures more efficient by simplifying them and paying greater attention to the needs of small contracting authorities and society’s common goals, as this is the only way to ensure that public procurement achieves the best and most sustainable results possible for the smallest possible investment of time and public funds;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes the view that transparent and credible public procurement practices play an particularly important role in the efficiency of public spending and also in the impact of public investment on the economy, particularly on growth and innovation, ; calls of which are overarching aims ofn the Commission to examine whether the criterion of the most economically advantageous tender may be applied to certain contracts and sectors, as the lowest price is not the optimal criterion when it cohmesion policy; to pursuing policy objectives such as promoting innovation and efficient use of funds;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Appeals to the European Commission to present a thoroughgoing legislative initiative on public procurement which will bring more flexibility, transparency and certainty to the sector, reduce errors in the transposition of EU law into national law and the risk of unfair trade practices and thus avoid frequent reforms in the future, which is the main reason for high costs and administrative burdens for participants, which significantly and disproportionately narrow SME access to public contracts;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Considers that the requirements in respect of transparency of procedures laid down in EU directives on public procurement and intended to ensure that all bidders are treated equally are not sufficient to properly reduce the risk of unsound business practices, such as conflicts of interest, favouritism or corruption; calls on the Commission to examine the possibility of incorporating more stringent measures to protect against corruption into tender procedures;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. stresses that in a context of increased international competition, European undertakings stand out through their capacity for innovation, the high technology they develop and the quality of the social and environmental standards they apply; calls for the Commission to encourage the recognition within the GPA of other criteria in addition to pricethe ‘lowest price’ criterion in the award of public procurement contracts; considers that better rules on public procurement, which should, moreover, be oriented more strongly towards smaller economic entities responding to open invitations to tender, would make for the creation of more high- quality jobs, support for European industrial policy and the promotion of sustainable environmental and social development; calls on the Commission to examine the possibility of incorporating more stringent safeguards against corruption into tendering procedures;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the importance of education for the contracting authorities and of information dissemination campaigns in the area of applicable public procurement rules as an important tool in ensuring informed participation in the procedures and avoiding errors; suggests to setting up a central helpdesk service in each Member State that would pay particular attention to SMEs;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to conduct training and awareness-raising campaigns and engage in consultation targeted at regional and local authorities and SMEs and also to involve other interested parties, in order to ensure informed participation in public procurement and reduce the frequency of errors;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that public procurement rules have become overly complex and too detailed, leading to costly and burdensome administrative procedures;, frequent cases of inadequate transposition of the rules into national legislation and the development of conditions that are conducive to unfair commercial practices; thus recommends simplification as far as possible, with clarifications where necessary; points out that the increased use of information technology will also play a major role in reducing administration and costs, and that European initiatives on e- procurement should therefore be aligned with the reform of the procurement rules;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Asks the Commission to investigate and effectively address the serious failures to comply with public procurement rules repeatedly identified by the Court of Auditors in the implementation of projects under the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund, which account for 43 % of all quantifiable errors according to the Court’s Report for 2009 and are frequently the result of incorrect implementation of EU legislation into national law; endorses, therefore, the Commission's measures aimed at cooperating with the Member States and regional and local authorities in reviewing legislation on public procurement in order to simplify it and reduce the risk of errors and ensure more efficient use of structural funds;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recognises that the up-front cost of energy-efficient products or services may come into conflict with public procurement rules concerning the use of the ‘lowest price’ criterion in the award of contracts, but considers that simplified rules could be introduced to allow contracting authorities toalls on the Commission to establish rules whereby contracting authorities could apply criteria for the most economically advantageous bid, i.e. measure costs in relation to the energy-saving potential of a given product or service;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that SMEs are the backbone of the EU economy and have a huge potential for job creation, growth and innovation and that greater access to procurement markets can assist SMEs in unlocking this potential; calls on the Commission, in the review of public procurement rules, to provide for further instruments to encourage the involvement of SMEs in public procurement and to reduce the administrative burden on them, particularly at the selection stage;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Considers that the requirements in respect of transparency of procedures laid down in EU directives on public procurement and intended to ensure that all bidders are treated equally are not sufficient to properly reduce the risk of unsound business practices, such as conflicts of interest, favouritism or corruption. calls on the Commission to examine the possibility of incorporating more stringent measures to protect against corruption into tender procedures and, at the same time, to assess any negative impact on the general objective of simplifying procedures and reducing the administrative burden on contracting authorities and companies;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses how important it is for the Member States and the Commission to promote the development of international climate and environmental standards based on life-cycle thinking, thus both facilitating environmentally friendly procurement for the public sector and making it easier for businesses to compete for contracts in different countries; draws attention to the great importance of public procurement for climate protection, energy efficiency, the environment and innovation and reiterates that public authorities should be encouraged and put in a position to base public procurement on ecological and other criteria; calls on the Commission to explore the possibility of using green public contracts as a tool to promote sustainable development;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Advocates clear and simple rules with a reduction in the level of detail and greater reliance upon the general principles of transparency, equal treatment and non- discrimination; considers that simplification of the rules on public procurement would make it possible to reduce the risk of error and pay greater heed to the needs of small contracting authorities;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Emphasises that ready access to public procurement for SMEs is crucial in order to maintain employment and sustainable development; stresses that simplifying the procedures and organising awareness- raising campaigns and consultation exercises will facilitate SMEs’ access and enable them to participate on a more equal and fairer footing;