(Finance) – 2023 saw 3,253 tenders published for a value of 1,513 million in services which will activate around 27 billion in jobs. The comparison with 2022 sees a sharp drop in value (-57.6%), while the number of tenders instead increases by 21.1% also due to the increasingly numerous micro loans (under 139,000 euros) which in number represent 84.8% of the market. It should be highlighted that, according to the value, the incidence of PNRR tenders – as expected – is rapidly decreasing: going from 39.1% of the total market reached in 2022, to 23.5% in 2023. These are the main data emerging from the OICE Report – the Association that brings together engineering and architecture companies within the Confindustria – which analyzes tenders for architecture and engineering services (SAI) and for integrated contracts (executive design and construction) relating to interventions financed with PNRR funds issued in the fourth and last quarter of 2023.
Another interesting trend concerns the increase, in the last quarter of 2023, of procedures for support assignments to contracting authorities: 27.2% of the total, (+3571.4% on the third quarter of 2023), concern support services to the contracting authority for a value of 29.4 million, 20.4% of the total (+269.2% on the third quarter of 2023). Overall in 2023, 382 tenders, 20.6% of the total tenders, with a value of services of 149.4 million, 17.0% of the total services entrusted; in 2022 there were 364, 18.5% of the total, for a value of 566.0 million, 23.3% of the annual total. Compared to the year 2022, the number of tenders to support the contracting authority increases by 4.9% while the value drops by 73.6%.
For the President of OICE, Giorgio Lupoi: “The data are consistent with expectations given that we are moving towards the end of June deadline. The important data, which I hope can be confirmed in the coming months, is that of the last quarter of the year which sees the demand for services explode of support to the contracting authorities, which until then had been declining in volumes. We have been maintaining for some time that the supports, in particular those of project management for the benefit of the ORs, can represent the fundamental tool for making procedures more efficient. Let the administrations take note of this We are pleased that they are noticing. If we had started earlier by structuring framework agreements in the area to support the municipalities in particular it would not have been bad. However, some critical issues remain in the background relating to the inadequate valorisation of these support services by some of the important clients of the infrastructure sector, to overcome which we ask for the rapid adaptation of the parameters decree, merged into the procurement code. Finally, we are very worried about the start of digitalisation: according to the first 15 days of January the market has almost stopped. The Anac clarification on micro loans up to 5000 euros is positive, but if the contracting authorities do not adhere to the new digital path as soon as possible, the risk is that of a market collapse”.
Returning to the data, we look at the procedures for the awarding of engineering and architectural services only (therefore excluding integrated contracts with which the executive planning is also entrusted) in 2023, 1,853 i were published for a value of 879 million.
Integrated tenders, we read in the report, are in first place in terms of number of tenders published, 1,400, 43.0% of the total, followed by tenders with other architecture and engineering services, 1,061 tenders, 32.6%. The tenders with design and construction management are 423, 13.0% of the total, while those for design only are 369, and represent 11.3% of the total tenders published throughout the year 2023.
If we observe the trend of the last quarter of the year, it emerges clearly, compared to the previous three months, that in terms of the number of procedures, integrated procurement is in sharp decline (-44.4% on the July-September quarter 2023), while the design-only tenders in the fourth quarter of 2023 were 86, 7.6% of the total number of PNRR tenders issued (+230.8% on the previous quarter), the tenders with design and construction management were 158, 13.9% of the total (+1216.7%), those with other architecture and engineering services were 701, 61.6% of the total number, (+847.3%).
THE Municipalities are the most active contracting authorities in 2023 given that they published 2,061 tenders, 63.4% of the total number of tenders in 2023, for a total amount of services of 504.9 million, 33.4% of the total value, followed by the State Administrations with 265 tenders , 8.1% of the total with a value of services of 477.0 million, 31.5% of the total value and the Concessionaires who with 232 tenders, 7.1% of the total number of tenders, entrust 275, 8 million services, 18.2%.
Throughout 2023 it is always school construction that has the record for the number of notices publishedthere are 980, 30.1% of the total, in value it is healthcare construction that reports the highest amount with 186.6 million euros, 12.3% of the total.
(Photo: Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash)