Municipal authorities accused of unfair tenders

Local authorities have once again earned the unenviable title of champions in violating legislation on public contracts, with their practices in 2018 provoking 42.33 percent of complaints probed by the Single Independent Authority for Public Contracts (EAADHSY).

The municipal authorities were also the source of most cases that EAADHSY had to issue an opinion about regarding whether the legal procedures had been followed, mainly concerning decisions to proceed to direct concessions.

According to EAADHSY's account for 2018, out of the 137 written complaints it examined over alleged violations of public contract laws, 58 concerned municipal authorities, 22 (or 16.05 percent) were about state corporations, and 17 (or 12.4 percent) were focused on hospitals.

The most common complaints related to violations of the regulations on free competition and equal treatment,...