Law Firm soukeník — štrpka as the Main Partner of the Publ

This year again, soukeník – štrpka law firm became the main partner of the largest gathering of public sector procurement professionals, the APUEN conference. Two days of intensive discussions provided an overview of the current challenges in public procurement.

The conference was opened on behalf of the Soukeník – Štrpka law firm by partner JUDr. Igor Vranka, LL.M. Our attorneys JUDr. Oľga Svitek Dlhopolčeková, JUDr. Martin Machyniak, Mgr. Andrej Guba, LL.M. and JUDr. Peter Kubolek actively participated in shaping the programme and delivered contributions on practical issues in public procurement.

“The Colours of FIDIC Not Only for Large-Scale Investment Projects”

JUDr. Oľga Svitek Dlhopolčeková, PhD. and JUDr. Martin Machyniak, in their lecture entitled “The Colours of FIDIC Not Only for Large-Scale Investment Projects”, explained that FIDIC contractual standards are not intended solely for construction projects worth hundreds of millions. They presented the specific features, advantages and suitability of the individual FIDIC “colours” also for smaller investment projects, while providing participants with guidance on how to make the right choice and avoid surprises in practice.

At the same time, they also led a role-based discussion exercise, a dynamic group activity. Its objective was, by assuming the roles of various stakeholders:

contracting authority
supplier
review officer

to develop the ability to argue and convincingly defend the assigned position on a disputed issue.

An important labour law topic was addressed in the discussion by Mgr. Andrej Guba, LL.M. together with Mgr. Marcela Turčanová, LL.M. from the APUEN Academy. They discussed employee liability and discipline. They examined practical cases concerning the conditions under which employees bear liability for errors in public procurement, the limits of such liability, and when employer disciplinary measures come into play.

As part of the panel discussion, JUDr. Peter Kubolek addressed the topic of misleading and false information provided by tenderers in public procurement. The discussion offered various perspectives on how contracting authorities may identify distorted or incomplete information, the possible responses, legal consequences, and where the burden of proof lies.