INOV

The current Public Procurement System in Portugal, originated from the legislative refurbishment of 2008, requires the use of electronic means in purchases effectuated by the state entities, within the framework involving several entities related to the public and private domains:

› Contracting Authorities;

› Awarding Authorities;

› Electronic Contracting Platforms;

› Sanction Authorities;

› Audit Authorities;

› Certification Authorities;

› BASE Managing Authority;

› Support Entities.

The procurement process is supported by existing electronic platforms in the duly certified market, with a central system, BASE ― Single Portal for Public Procurement that aggregates the most relevant information. All contracts within the legal PCC (Public Contracts Code) framework must be recorded in the system ― even though some of them are not published (namely, those that are not subject to contract formation stage). The non-publication of Direct Adjustments prevents payment in accordance with Article 127, which makes this tool a valuable asset in the transparency of public administration.

Being considered an international reference, the Portuguese public procurement system is unique in Europe, offering a portal that aggregates information on all public procurement at the level of the entire country.

In 2011, the managing body of BASE Institute of Construction and Real Estate (Instituto da Construção e do Imobiliário -INCI) started refurbishing the portal and supporting information systems, having chosen INOV as technology partner for implementation.

Given the amount of needed functionality, scope of different entities involved and the required interconnections, this activity turned out to be a complex project of considerable dimension.

The solution proposed and implemented by INOV is a state-of-the-art technology solution developed on the basis of Java (JEE) technology and Open Source frameworks, highlighting the following characteristics: