The American Chamber of Commerce in Croatia (AmCham Croatia) has published a position paper advocating for the adoption of a dedicated Ordinance on Simple Procurement. The aim is to harmonize the practices of contracting authorities, increase transparency, and make it easier for economic operators to participate in simple procurement procedures.

Key Highlights of the Position:

• Standardization of procedures: The Ordinance would prescribe minimum requirements that contracting authorities must follow when conducting simple procurement procedures.
• Mandatory publication of procedures: AmCham proposes that all simple procurements above EUR 10,000 for goods and services and EUR 25,000 for works be published in the Electronic Public Procurement Classifieds (EPPC).
• Prevention of artificial splitting: The Ordinance should prohibit the splitting of procurements within a year to avoid public procurement procedures, except for unforeseen needs.
• Longer deadlines and electronic submission: AmCham proposes minimum deadlines of 5–10 working days for tender submission and mandatory electronic submission options.
• Access to received tenders: Contracting authorities would be required to grant interested tenderers electronic access to received tenders upon request.

Given that simple procurements represent more than 14% of the total value of public procurement in Croatia, the adoption of the Ordinance would ensure greater legal certainty, foster competition, minimize the risk of abuse, and improve the efficiency of public spending — all while imposing only minimal administrative burdens on contracting authorities.