Public Procurement
The public procurement of goods, services and works is governed by, among other legal acts, the Public Contracts Code (hereinafter referred to as PCC), an act approved by Decree-Law No. 18/2008, of 29 January, as expressed in Decree-Law No. 111-B/2017, of 31 August, and subsequent rectifications and amendments.
Decree-Law No. 111-B/2017, of 31 August 31, introduced changes to the PCC with a view to transposing the following directives:
- Directive 2014/23/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February on the award of concession contracts;
- Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public procurement;
- Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors;
- Directive 2014/55/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on electronic invoicing in public procurement.
Within this framework, and in compliance with European obligations, the changes introduced to the PCC are essentially focused on simplifying the public procurement process, reducing bureaucracy and providing for more flexibility, with a view to increasing spending efficiency and promoting improved and easier access to contracts for economic operators.