Overview of Public Contracts in 2023
According to a document released by the Institute of Public Markets, Real Estate, and Construction (IMPIC), “in 2023, the 192,067 contracts reported to the Base portal by contracting entities reached a total contractual value of 15.22 billion euros.” Compared to 2022, there was “an increase in both number and value,” with “9,317 more contracts (+5%) registered and a total contractual value increase of 2.637 billion euros (+21%).”
The document notes, “In terms of numbers, this increase, although modest, reinforces the trend observed since 2019.”
Contracts by Year of Procedure Creation
Analyzing “the contracts communicated in 2023 based on the year of procedure creation on the Base portal, it was found that 88% (in number) and 66% (in value) refer to procedures created in 2023.” However, it was pointed out that there remains “a considerable number of contracts” with procedures dating back to before 2021, including 376 created in 2019 and 338 in 2020.
Types of Contracts Reported
On the other hand, of the contracts reported to the portal in 2023, “the vast majority (93%) related to the acquisition of goods and services.” In terms of contractual amounts, goods and services were also predominant, although with a lesser relative expression (72%).
According to IMPIC, the structure of public contracts in 2023 “followed the trend of recent years, where the share of contracts related to public works is lower than that of goods and services.” In 2023, the share of public works contracts reached 28%, marking a growth of 4.8 percentage points compared to 2022.
Growth in Goods and Services Contracts
IMPIC also noted that “the number of goods and services contracts communicated in 2023 represents a 4% increase compared to 2021 (+6,920) and a 35% increase (+46,258) compared to 2019.” In terms of public works, “2023 saw an increase in the number of contracts, with a variation of +23% (+2,397) compared to 2022, although still below the number in 2021.”
Value of Contracts and Adjustments
Regarding the value of the published contracts for goods and services, “there was a 13.7% increase (+1.327 billion euros) compared to 2022,” while public works saw a variation of +46.5% (+1.330 billion euros), according to the report.
According to IMPIC, “the type of procedure most frequently used was the direct adjustment, representing 47.56% of the total number of procedures, followed by prior consultation (21.31%).” However, “in terms of contractual amounts, the relative weight of direct adjustments and prior consultations was lower (17.49% and 8.55%, respectively).” Notably, there was a decrease in contracts established through direct adjustments (-6.1%).
Compliance with Contractual Deadlines
Regarding compliance with the defined contractual execution deadlines, IMPIC reported that “for goods and services, the contractual deadline was not met in 53.14% of contracts,” and in 18.14% of contracts, this deadline was exceeded by more than 60 days.
This data highlights significant trends and challenges in the realm of public contracts in 2023, revealing both growth and areas needing attention.