Revista de Engenharia Civil e Ambiental

Analysis of Public Procurement for Water Utilities Work Performance

Abstract

Elizabeth MacAfee

In terms of performance, the public procurement of construction work in this sector is particularly interesting due to the availability of nonreimbursable funds for water supply networks. This study aims to identify key issues and patterns in the interaction between economic operators and Romanian contracting entities that award such construction contracts. During the offer preparation stage, rounds of clarification requests bring about the engagement. The specialized literature analysis revealed that the topic was not covered in many scientific publications. An empirical examination of selected tenders was the subject of the research. In addition to quantitative data on the same tenders, the qualitative analysis of publicly available questions and responses serves as the primary focus of the research methodology. According to the findings of the study, a significant portion of all questions analyzed focus on the technical specifications of the contract notice documents. Multiple tenders may contain the same questions in some instances. The evaluation periods for tenders are long. Participation is dominated by bidder associations of multiple economic operators and the tenders are published with a similar strategic profile (such as open tendering and no lot division).