OREANDA-NEWS. July 26, 2007. The second set of amendments to the Federal Law "On State and Municipal Procurement of Goods, Works and Services" will come into force on 1st October 2007, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the above amendments on 27th July 2007.

The Law "On Introducing Amendments to the Federal Law "On State and Municipal Procurement of Goods, Works and Services" and certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation" will eliminate regional and local Internet sites of the ordering parties-state entities and provide for creating a single All-Russian Internet portal in 2,5 years, where all state procurement information will be published.

Similar publications in the federal printed media will not be mandatory after 1st January 2008, and in the regional media - in 3 years.

Moreover, the new law limits the weigh of a subjective criterion of "participants qualification" to 20%, or, in exceptional cases, for instance, carrying out emergency and rescue works or providing medical services - to 45%.

Another novelty of the Federal Law "On State Procurement…" - in the auctions amounted to more than 50 million Rubles for construction, reconstruction or rebuilding, the ordering party has the right to request the bidder to present specific documentation. They must confirm that in the last five years the bidder completed similar works for the amount no less than 20% of the initial price the expected contract.

The legislative draft also contains separate provisions for e-auctions and creative contests.

According to Mikhail Evraev, the Head of the State Procurement Depatment of the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service, "introducing construction auctions, creating a single Internet-portal and limiting subjective tender criteria will cut down corruption in state and municipal procurement in several times, and save up to 1 trillion Rubles of budget funds annually".