Price review system for public works officially adopted

Temporary Price Adjustment Coefficients
The regulation addresses the sudden and sharp rise in supply chain costs triggered by the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, which caused unprecedented increases in construction material prices (steel, asphalt, PVC, copper, aggregates, and energy).

Temporary price adjustment coefficients for public works contracts have been finalized for all forthcoming adjustment quarters, with specified exceptions. These apply to base rates for wages, materials, rentals, and machinery. They remain applicable to contracts for which completion certificates have not yet been issued at the time of the bill’s publication, as well as to contracts concluded after publication, until the full implementation or modification of the Unified System of Technical Specifications and Pricing for Technical Projects and Studies.

Contracts signed after 31 October 2022, for which a completion certificate has already been issued, are exempt if no price adjustment was requested before the certificate’s issuance, or if a request was made and not approved.

This provision acts as a transitional mechanism, ensuring the continuity of ongoing projects and providing a fair and reasonable approach for all existing contracts until the Unified System is fully operational.

Standard Proposals

• Article 99 removes the restriction limiting the submission of standard proposals to the first half of each quarter. Proposals may now be submitted at any time, giving economic operators greater flexibility and removing previous barriers that hindered the use of the mechanism.
• Article 101 abolishes the rule of chronological priority in reviewing standard proposals. The order of evaluation will now be determined by the committee, which will prioritize submissions based on current needs and circumstances.
• The bill also establishes a minimum threshold for preparation costs of standard proposals, ensuring costs remain reasonable and eliminating discrepancies previously present in the competitive procurement process for contracts awarded following approved standard proposals versus other public contracts.