AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
Table 3: contingency table for H3
Number of
employees
Yes, it is
perceived
positively
No, it is not
perceived
positively
Total
0-49
employees
25
2
27
50 or more
employees
14
1
15
Total
39
3
42
Source: Prepared by authors
The value of the Pearson chi-square is X
2
= 7.977. The level of
significance is
α=0,05 tzn. X
2
0,05 (1)
= 3,841. Since the value X
2
˃
X
2
0,05 (1),
H
0
– the null hypothesis is rejected. This means that
between the indicated signs exists the dependency, i.e. H3 is
confirmed – the respondents perceived the introduction of
electronic communication in public procurement positively.
The performed questionnaire investigation reveals that the
respondents are not aware about the Initiative of the EU to
increase the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of public
procurement in the single internal market. However, once
informed, they are of the opinion that this will have an impact on
the competition between businesses and that, very likely,
businesses from other EU member states might get interested in
previously only “national” public procurements. The
enlargement of the pool of potential contractors should
contribute to the healthy and more vigorous competition and
ultimately to the increase of the quality of presented bids and of
concerns for social, environmental and other aspects and
conditions. Further, interestingly, the majority of the respondents
welcomed the introduction of the electronic communication and
generally electronic forms
and procedures in public
procurement. They believe that this will simplify the processes
and make the communications faster and more effective and
efficient. A few respondents, generally SMEs and foreign
businesses, were reluctant and they explained their lack of
enthusiasm for modernized electronic public procurement by the
fear regarding IS/IT demands and complications related to the
transfer to the electronic form. However, this is not an issue for
the majority of respondents because they already use data boxes
and qualified electronic signatures and the related IS/IT is
affordable for them, sometimes even the costs are merely
marginal. The respondents are not afraid that the Initiative will
lead to unfair commercial practices and, as a matter of fact, 92%
of the respondents do not expect any unfair competition impact
of the Initiative.
5 Conclusion
The study, analysis and assessment of the roots and context of
the awareness and perception of the modernized electronic
public procurement in the EU and in particular in the Czech
Republic provides a very interesting picture. On one hand, there
is the EU determined to go for the integration and single internal
market, providing a framework for the modernized electronic
public procurement and generating ambitious policies and
instruments, such as the Europe 2020 or the Investment Plan for
Europe with the goal to simplify public procurement, to support
access to public procurement and to consider social and
environmental criteria accompanied by the digitalization
promoting Initiative and eIDAS Regulation. On the other hand,
the message does not seem to go smoothly through and be
warmly embraced by the EU member states and their contracting
authorities. The EU proclamations regarding the fight against
discrimination in public procurement and regarding more
effective, efficient and sustainable competition are alluring and
EU policies and Directive wording appears positive. However,
they are not well-known and well-incorporated in the national
settings. As before, public procurement keeps its local or
national character and national frameworks, policies and
contracting authorities want “their own particular” modern
electronic public procurement, i.e. they do not go for the EU
template. This is suggested by academic literature, the so far
completed studies, and numbers about materialized and finalized
public procurement.
The Czech pioneering case study with the questionnaire
investigation fits in this fragmented picture. Czech respondents
are not aware about the key pillars of the EU modernized
electronic public procurement and, as a matter of fact, they know
very little, if anything, about the Initiative of the EU and its goal
to increase the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the
public procurement and so they make the H1 to be rejected.
However, once they learned about the EU modernized electronic
public procurement and its EU and Czech parameters, they
expect that it will have an impact on the competition between
businesses, i.e. this rejects H2 proposing the lack of impact on
the competition. Even more interestingly, they perceive
positively the introduction of electronic communication in public
procurement, i.e. this confirms H3.
In sum, both academia, published studies and articles, as well as
the primary pioneering case study suggest that the EU is heading
in the right direction and might achieve in sharing the same tenor
with EU member states and their contracting authorities while
enjoying a good reception by potential contractors. However, so
far, we are not there. As a matter of fact, the fine potential of the
modernized electronic public procurement seems to be
underdeveloped. Electronization, transparency, employment of
more criteria with the sustainability focus, etc. are proper
concepts and steps, but, boldly, Europeans know very little about
these endeavors of the EU and if they do know, they do not fully
trust them. Naturally, the ambiguity of the used legislative
language and policy wording undermines further EU attempts
for the modernized electronic public procurement. It can be
speculated that there are other factors working against them,
such as national protectionism, cultural differences, language
barriers, etc.
Certainly, this introductory comparative analysis and rather
small sample case study needs to be expanded and deepened in
order to make the above suggested preliminary semi-conclusion
more robust. Nevertheless, already at this point, it can be
legitimately proposed that the EU should work more closely
with EU member states, national competition authorities and
contracting authorities and should engage in a dialogue with
potential competitors. The bottom-up approach and open-minded
exchange of opinions should be carefully examined and the EU
should humbly recognize how far it can go with the modernized
electronic public procurement while keeping the general support.
Once these common denominators are identified, a very clear
framework and policies should be issued. Primarily, the
modernized electronic public procurement should be what EU
member states and their businesses and individuals want, or at
least are ready to accept, and not what the EU wants. Otherwise,
proclamations about more integration, a single internal market
and more effective, efficient and sustainable competition without
any discrimination will remain beautiful dead letters.
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