Excessive Legal Formalism and Public Procurement Procedures

Javna nabava je mehanizam kojim se osigurava da javni i sektorski naručitelji učinkovito i transparentno utroše javna sredstva. Pravna zaštita u postupku provođenja javne nabave važna je kako bi se osiguralo da se postupci provode u skladu sa zakonom i kako bi se uistinu osiguralo učinkovito trošenje javnih sredstava, odnosno kako bi dodjela ugovora o javnoj nabavi bila transparentna i provjerljiva. U našem pravu pravnu zaštitu sudionicima takvih postupaka pruža samostalno i neovisno državno tijelo nadležno za rješavanje o žalbama u postupcima javne nabave – Državna komisija za kontrolu postupaka javne nabave. Autor smatra da je praksa Državne komisije često obilježena pretjeranim pravnim formalizmom te misli da je u nizu slučajeva, umjesto uskog i gramatičkog tumačenja, bilo mjesta teleološkom i pravno smislenom tumačenju propisa kako bi se strankama u postupcima uistinu omogućila učinkovita i dostupna pravna zaštita. Autor će uputiti na stajališta Ustavnog suda Republike Hrvatske, koji je u svojoj praksi kritizirao javnopravna tijela i sudove upravo zbog pretjeranog pravnog formalizma i gramatičkog tumačenja zakona. Autor smatra da pretjerani pravni formalizam može proizvesti zazor investitora od sudjelovanja u postupcima javne nabave, što može imati negativne posljedice na investicijski ciklus u Republici Hrvatskoj. Zbog toga će autor u radu pokazati, teorijski i na konkretnim primjerima, što smatra pretjeranim pravnim formalizmom i kako se, prema njegovu mišljenju, takvo tumačenje zakona može izbjeći.Public procurement represents a mechanism trough which it is ensured that public and sector buyers spend public funds effectively and transparently. Legal protection in the public procurement procedure is important because it ensures that such procedures are implemented in accordance with the law and that public funds are spent in an effective manner. In our legal system, the legal protection to participants of such procedures is provided by an independent state body which is competent for resolving appeal procedures in the public procurement procedures – the State Commission for the Control of Public Procurement Procedures. The author argues that the practice of the State Commission has frequently been marked with excessive legal formalism and believes there is room, instead of a narrow and grammatical interpretation of the law, for a teleological and legally coherent interpretation of the norms in order to ensure that the parties in these procedures are provided all available and efficient legal protection. The author will emphasize the views of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia which has, in its practice, criticized public bodies and the courts for excessive legal formalism and grammatical interpretation of the law. The author feels that excessive legal formalism can produce disaffection of the investors, forcing them not to engage in public procurement procedures, which can, in turn, have negative consequences on the investments momentum in the Republic of Croatia. The author will present his view of excessive legal formalism, in theory and on specific examples, and discuss how such interpretation of the law could, in his view, be avoided. The author shows that excessive legal formalism is very much present in the practice of Croatian courts, and in administrative practice, as well. The only body which criticizes the occurrence of excessive legal formalism in Croatia is the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia, which has, in its practice, repeatedly stated that it considers actions of the courts and administrative bodies in which they do not take into account the real meaning and purpose of the legal norm as excessively formalistic. Excessive formalism has a severe consequence – negation of the rule of law, which is not permissible in a democratic society. In his analysis, the author shows that the practice of the State Commission for the Control of Public Procurement Procedures is often marked with excessive legal formalism and puts forward his proposals for the improvement of the practice of this very important body. All public bodies are obliged to interpret legal norms in accordance with their purpose and to take into account the facts of every individual case in order to be able to make a lawful and correct decision. Only such practice can guarantee the rights of the parties in all legal procedures, including public procurement procedures