AI can come to public procurement

László Windisch, President of the State Audit Office of Hungary stressed that public procurement is important not only for ensuring competition, but also for ensuring auditability, transparency and accountability. He said that the Hungarian public procurement system is ranked third in the EU on the basis of 12 indicators, but there is still work to be done, as indicated by the number of procedures initiated by the SAO, mainly because of the failure to carry out public procurement procedures. The SAO President underlined the importance of the cooperation agreement signed between the SAO and the President of the Public Procurement Authority in February 2023.

Artificial intelligence could be the future of public procurement

The international conference focused on the current and future role of artificial intelligence and innovation in public procurement. Dr. László Palkovics, Government Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence, presented the potential of the technology, while Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the Hungarian Competition Authority, examined the impact of artificial intelligence on competitiveness.

They were followed by an expert from the Finnish Treasury and two other Hungarian experts who spoke about innovation opportunities in public procurement, the use of artificial intelligence in public procurement and the mainstreaming of innovative aspects in public procurement.

The conference also covered the review of the EU public procurement directives and the public procurement aspects of the green sector dossiers. In addition, two round table discussions brought together national and EU experts in public procurement and competition law to discuss topical professional issues of international relevance.