In brief

• SME Ombudsman Agnieszka Majewska calls for changes to public procurement law so that Polish companies are chosen more often.
• According to her, officials fear accusations and choose the cheapest offers instead of non-price criteria, such as quality or operating costs.
• A Real Capital Retention Ratio has been proposed, which would measure how much of the money from public investments stays in the country.

The price criterion holds back Polish companies

Agnieszka Majewska, the spokesperson for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, has submitted proposals for changes in the law and organization of public procurement to the prime minister, the minister of finance and economy, the president of the Public Procurement Office, and the minister of state assets. The aim is for Polish companies to take part more often in the implementation of public investments (Róbmy, nie gadajmy - rzecznik MŚP apeluje ws. local content – Prawo.pl) (Zamówienia publiczne. Rzecznik MŚP proponuje zmiany – com.pl).

Fear of liability

According to the spokesperson, one of the barriers is the fear of people making purchasing decisions of being accused of violating public finance discipline. The regulations provide that when selecting an offer, economic, social and environmental effects are taken into account, but in practice contracting authorities often choose the offer with the lowest price.

Quality and costs instead of price

These are to include, among others, quality, service and operating costs. The spokesperson also wants to assess what share of public procurement spending stays in the domestic economy.

Real Capital Retention Ratio

The spokesperson presented the concept of the Real Capital Retention Ratio, which would show how much of the money spent on public investments remains in the Polish economy.

The role of the Industrial Development Agency

The local content issue also has the support of the Industrial Development Agency, which has announced its assistance in this area.