André Gaspar Martins, Head of the Public Law Practice, is quoted by Jornal Económico in an article discussing the reforms the Government is preparing to implement to the Public Contracts Code (CCP) and the Administrative Procedure Code (CPA), as well as the revision of the Court of Auditors’ prior approval regime.

A decade after the last amendments, this review aims to accelerate decision-making processes, enhance the accountability of public managers and ensure greater efficiency in expenditure control, bringing Portugal closer to prevailing European Union practices. Among the changes under consideration are procedural simplification, the revision of thresholds, the introduction of automation, and the creation of more effective mechanisms for resolving disputes.

Speaking to Jornal Económico, André Gaspar Martins noted that “what can be done immediately to make public procurement more agile and faster is to change behaviours”. He also emphasised that, in Portugal, there is “a tendency to systematically amend structural legal regimes and to believe that this alone solves the problems”, concluding that “this is often not the case”.

• Read the full article here.