Andrej Hrnciar: “Transparency has already helped to reduce the costs of public tenders by 28%” 

With a view to preventing corruption and promoting economic transparency Andrej Hrnciar, Mayor of Martin (Slovakia) since 2006, has introduced a programme of “electronic tendering”, which can be consulted at any time on the Internet. At the conference on fighting corruption at local and regional level, held in Messina (Italy), he explained how this programme had already helped the city to make substantial savings.

Interview – 7 May 2010

Question:  The “Transparentnemesto” programme and the Internet site of the same name have brought about radical changes in the systems of public procurement and public tenders in your city. Why did you introduce this system in Martin?

Andrej Hrnciar: When I was elected Mayor I noticed that many of the contracts signed by my predecessors with service providers of all sorts, and particularly public works companies, were often disadvantageous for the city, because they were for example too expensive or granted for too long. There was a lack of transparency and, with the help of  “Transparency International Slovensko”, we decided to introduce a system to promote economic transparency in the city going well beyond the rules in force in Slovakia. Consequently, since summer 2009, we have been using a system of electronic tendering for all contracts drawn up between the municipal authorities and external service providers.

Question: How does this system operate in practical terms?

Andrej Hrnciar: All calls for tenders are published on the city’s Internet site, which members of the population can of course consult at any time.  Companies which wish to submit a bid register on the site and obtain a personal and private code, then submit their bid and identify themselves by using their code. Once all the bids have been submitted,  the Tenders Board chooses the most appropriate bid in terms of cost. Only then is the name of the successful bidder revealed by “breaking” the code. In this way there is no favouritism during the tender and negotiation stages. This system is extremely effective: not only is it democratic but within six months it had already helped reduce the price of the services offered by 28%, as the companies concerned know that they have to be competitive to win the contract. Between July 2009 and January 2010, potential savings had reached €150 000, which means that the campaign and the site have already been very cost-effective.

Question: Do you think “Transparentnemesto” could be tried out in other Slovakian towns and cities or in other countries?

Andrej Hrnciar: It is certainly worth promoting in other towns and cities as corruption and lack of transparency need to be countered everywhere they exist. In addition to its financial advantages, this tool meets citizens’ expectations with regard to transparency: in Martin, which has 60,000 inhabitants, the site has already been consulted more than 12,000 times! But it is not our only anti-corruption tool: we have already trained municipal staff in such matters and they are bound by a code of ethics and various other regulations and we will continue this year to introduce further measures within the context of this programme.