1.In order to effectively ensure correct and efficient implementation, Member States shall ensure that at least the tasks set out in this Article are performed by one or more authorities, bodies or structures. They shall indicate to the Commission all authorities, bodies or structures competent for those tasks.
2.Member States shall ensure that the application of public procurement rules is monitored.
Where monitoring authorities or structures identify by their own initiative or upon the receipt of information specific violations or systemic problems, they shall be empowered to indicate those problems to national auditing authorities, courts or tribunals or other appropriate authorities or structures, such as the ombudsman, national parliaments or committees thereof.
3.The results of the monitoring activities pursuant to paragraph 2 shall be made available to the public through appropriate means of information. These results shall also be made available to the Commission. For instance, they may be integrated in the monitoring reports referred to in the second subparagraph of this paragraph.
By 18 April 2017 and every three years thereafter Member States shall submit to the Commission a monitoring report covering, where applicable, information on the most frequent sources of wrong application or of legal uncertainty, including possible structural or recurring problems in the application of the rules, on the level of SME participation in public procurement and about prevention, detection and adequate reporting of cases of procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and other serious irregularities.
The Commission may, not more than every three years, request Member States to provide information on the practical implementation of national strategic procurement policies.
For the purposes of this paragraph and paragraph 4 of this Article, ‘SME’ shall be understood as defined in Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC(1).
On the basis of the data received under this paragraph, the Commission shall regularly issue a report on the implementation and best practices of national procurement policies in the internal market.
4.Member States shall ensure that:
(a)information and guidance on the interpretation and application of the Union public procurement law is available free of charge to assist contracting authorities and economic operators, in particular SMEs, in correctly applying the Union public procurement rules; and
(b)support is available to contracting authorities with regard to planning and carrying out procurement procedures.
5.Member States shall, without prejudice to the general procedures and working methods established by the Commission for its communications and contacts with Member States, designate a point of reference for cooperation with the Commission as regards the application of public procurement legislation.
6.Contracting authorities shall, at least for the duration of the contract, keep copies of all concluded contracts with a value equal to or greater than:
(a)1 000 000 EUR in the case of public supply contracts or public service contracts;
(b)10 000 000 EUR in the case of public works contracts.
Contracting authorities shall grant access to those contracts; however, access to specific documents or items of information may be denied to the extent and on the conditions provided for in the applicable Union or national rules on access to documents and data protection.
Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, (OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 36).