Presidência do Conselho de Ministros (Council of Ministers' Presidency)
Decree-Law
Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 135/2002 of 20 November established the Knowledge and Innovation Mission Unit, with the purpose of supporting the development of government policies concerning the fields of innovation, information society and e-government.
In the context of e-government, the development of initiatives which embrace the Public Administration as a whole, as in the case of the E-Shopping National Program, the project of the citizen web portal and the projects regarding the reduction of the communications costs of the Public Administration (strand no. 4 for the E-Government Action Plan) involve carrying out a wide and diversified range of activities and costs, including the acquisition of infrastructures in the fields of computers, telecommunications, consultancy and support services provided for the development and operation of the several information systems to be installed. The embracing nature and dimension of these projects lead to more complex, and therefore slower, award procedures, having regard to the fact that several bodies are involved, each one with its own specificities.
Within this context, it is convenient to adopt, up to the end of the year 2003, a regime for public expenditure, combining the procedure swiftness necessary for the achievement of the referred projects – vital to a closer, more transparent and debureaucratized relation of the Public Administration towards the citizen, to the reduction of public expenditure and the reinforcement of national competitiveness - , with the protection of the interests of the State and the strict transparency of expenditure.
This special regime, already adopted in other situations, shall allow the compliance with the timetabled aims of these structuring initiatives, which shall begin by the end of 2003.
Therefore:
Pursuant to point a) of article 198 of the Constitution, O Government hereby decrees the following:
Sole Article
The expenditure on the acquisition or rental, under any regime, installation and operation of goods and services in the fields of computers, communications and others, intended for the development of the E-Shopping National Program, approved by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 111/2003 of 12 August, the project of the citizen web portal and likewise the projects regarding the reduction of the communications costs of the Public Administration, all of which within the E-Government Action Plan, approved by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 108/2003 of 12 August, shall take place, during the current financial year, using negotiated, prior consultation or single-tender procedures, up to the Community thresholds.
Checked and approved at the Council of Ministers of 4 September 2003. – José Manuel Durão Barroso – Maria Manuela Dias Ferreira Leite – José Luís Fazenda Arnaut Duarte.
Promulgated on 6 October 2003.
Let it be published.
The President of the Republic, Jorge Sampaio.
Counter-signed on 10 October.
The Prime Minister, José Manuel Durão Barroso.
