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Reform Support
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© EU

Supporting reforms to reinforce efficient and high quality public administrations

Funding Programme
Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP)
Year
2019

Developing agile practices for ICT procurement in Slovakia

The Commission supported the reinforcement of the strategic use of procurement processes to procure IT tools used by the Slovak administration, based on experience accumulated in the development of centralisation strategies, structures and tools, the implementation of competency and training frameworks and the definition of e-procurement strategies. It supported the authorities in the definition of different procurement strategies (e.g. centralisation, shared services, co-ordination of decentralised initiatives) relating to IT procurement and develop practical guidance to implement those strategies.

Context

Used strategically, public procurement can be a powerful tool for delivering public services effectively to citizens and for achieving the digital transformation of society and the economy. Information and communications technology (ICT) procurement, specifically, plays a decisive role in the implementation of any national digital government strategy. The overall outcome of the project was to develop lean procurement practices tailored to the very nature of this industry and to ensure strategic alignment with digitalisation initiatives led by the Slovak government.

Support delivered

By carrying out desk research, collection and analysis of data in the Slovak context and having stakeholder meetings and workshops, the main activities of the project were:

  • An assessment of the country’s efforts to procure IT tools and systems against good practices from EU and OECD countries covering the whole procurement cycle;
  • The development of practical guidance and actionable tools to support the implementation of agile strategies for the procurement of IT solutions and their testing in a pilot project.

The final outputs were:

  • An assessment report with key findings and recommendations for improving the procurement of IT solutions in the Slovak Republic
  • Development of concrete “how to” documentation, templates, checklists and tools and application of those practical tools in one concrete pilot project

Expected results

The project helped the Slovak government and contracting authorities in the Slovak Republic adopt agile procurement practices for purchasing ICT solutions that are in line with the needs and trends of the digital age and contribute to the successful implementation of the 2030 Strategy for the Digital Transformation of Slovakia. Although the focus of the project was on ICT procurement, agility can be applied to many procurement areas, either as standard for sustainability and circularity or as a tool to support public buyers in digital procurement.

More about the project

You can read the final report here: