Public procurement and Covid-19 in Portugal: the particular case of the acquisition of institutional publicity related to the pandemic disease
Marco Antonio Corbucci Caldeira · European Journal of Public Procurement Markets · 2021
In addition to several other exceptional legal measures adopted in regard to public procurement related to the pandemic of the disease Covid-19, the Government also enforced a specific regime for the acquisition of institutional publicity related or associated to Covid-19. However, this framework (set forth in article 2nd-B of Decree-Law no. 10-A/2020, of March 13, added by Decree-Law no. 20-A/2020, of May 6) is highly problematic and raises several issues, as, under the “cover” of a procurement regime, it is actually a direct public subsidization to the social media market, with a full upfront payment based on grounds of “urgency” that does not seem compatible with the public procurement rules.