Procurement code change 'small Copernican revolution' (2)

Rome, March 3 - A new public procurement code "represents a small Copernican revolution in the system of procurement in our country," anti-corruption czar Raffaele Cantone said Thursday. "By itself the law is not able to solve problems and this law will not be a panacea but it does bring some novelties, also in trying to avoid one of the main risks of contract bidding, the risk of corruption". The government on Thursday approved Italy's new public contracts code with a decree enacting a reform to make public procurement simpler and more transparent. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Graziano Delrio described the text as a "substantial reform aiming to finally bring the public works system up to the level of a great European country". The new code brings Italy in line with three EU directives and contains 217 rather than the previous 600 articles. It puts an end to the practice of awarding contracts to the lowest bidder, among other things. "The choice reconciles price and quality," Delrio said.