The Ministry of Finance reported that, thanks to the review of public procurement in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT), it was possible to prevent budget expenditures of 21.2 million euros. The working group, established under the moratorium on certain IT procurements announced by the Prime Minister, received 46 applications for exceptions by September 4. The total cost of the proposed projects was 180.7 million euros. After reviewing the documents, the working group recommended that the Minister of Finance approve 14 applications with a total cost of 27.2 million euros. At the same time, no application received an official rejection. However, after receiving additional questions and requests from experts, some institutions decided to withdraw, postpone, or suspend their projects on their own. It is precisely due to such decisions, according to the Ministry of Finance, that the state managed to avoid additional expenses of more than 21 million euros. Finance Minister Maris Kučinskis believes that this approach allows for the reduction of unjustified expenditures without refusing truly important projects. According to him, if an institution decides to abandon a procurement after clarifying questions, it indicates that its necessity was not sufficiently justified. The review continues even after the extension of the moratorium. The working group is currently considering applications for exceptions for projects related to ensuring critical state functions, cybersecurity, as well as initiatives funded by European Union funds that are of particular importance to the state. In addition, experts separately analyzed 10 cases identified during the monitoring of the Electronic Procurement System of the State Agency for Digital Development. Following the review, recommendations for further actions were prepared, including a proposal to abandon the use of one of the procurement baskets. The Ministry of Finance emphasizes that the goal of the review is not to halt the digitalization of the public sector, but to ensure that every euro invested in the development of public IT systems is used effectively and brings measurable benefits.
