Innovation in E-Procurement: The Italian Experience

A stylized illustration features multiple translucent document icons layered over a gradient blue background. The documents appear to float, with faint white lines and geometric shapes adding a sense of depth and technology. No visible text, numbers, or recognizable brands are present in the image.

By
Mita Marra

Italy’s new public procurement system, created through Consip--a public company owned by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance--is the focus of this report. Consip created a new information technology platform and new operational procedures for public acquisitions that included an electronic catalog, online auctions, and an electronic marketplace. Working as a public company, Consip was designed to minimize red tape, recruit a highly educated workforce, and be more responsive to clients. This report finds that public agencies’ use of new procurement procedures appears to have achieved many of their intended results. It concludes with findings and recommendations for Consip itself and for other countries currently transforming their public procurement system. InnovationTechnology and E-Government