Mepa is the electronic market of the PA (Public Administration), managed by Consip, it is a platform that brings together the demand of the PA with the offer of companies. Through the digital tool, PAs can purchase goods and services offered by authorized suppliers for amounts up to €207,000 (EU threshold). Through the platform, both the PA and businesses digitize processes, thus reducing tender issues and also commercial costs.

MEPA: The electronic markets of the PA

MEPA: The electronic markets of the PA

As we have seen , the Electronic Markets of the Public Administration (MEPA) are an IT service, managed by Consip SpA, which provides the structures of the Local Authorities with an online purchasing system designed to optimize the procurement procedures of the Public Administration throughout the National territory. The MEPA allows Local Authorities to request offers for the supply of goods and services required within the Public Administration. On MEPA it is also possible to view the economic and contractual conditions , as well as make purchases in a simple and efficient way. The platform represents an important opportunity for companies, both Italian and foreign, which can offer their products and services to local authorities through a transparent and fair system.

The advantages offered by the MEPA are many:

  • it is a free and easily accessible service, which allows all Local Authorities to obtain supplies in a simple and efficient way;
  • allows companies to participate in fairly organized and transparently managed tenders;
  • the advantages for the environment are indisputable, given that the use of MEPA significantly reduces the production of paper typical of the traditional bureaucratic process.

What is the Mepa for?

The Electronic Market of the Public Administration (Mepa) is a computerized system that allows suppliers of goods and services to participate in electronic procedures called by public administrations. The Mepa offers companies the opportunity to participate in online tenders , in order to manage the purchase of goods and services by public administrations in a more efficient and transparent way.

In particular, the Mepa aims to simplify the procedures relating to the supply of goods and services to the Public Administration, guaranteeing greater transparency and a more effective selection of suppliers. Furthermore, the system allows companies to save time and energy in the preparation of technical offers as all the information necessary to participate in the tender is available on the platform.

The Mepa is also a way to reduce procurement costs for public administrations , offering faster access at competitive prices compared to those available on the open market. Finally, the system contributes to the fight against tax evasion as it constantly monitors payments made by public bodies, thus ensuring that the sums paid are paid in compliance with current regulations.

Furthermore, the PAs can access more favorable economic conditions than the free market.

What is Consip?

Consip is a public company owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance which is responsible for making the expenditure of public bodies more efficient. Its main objective is to develop the digitization of the public administration, simplifying and reducing the costs for the purchase of goods and services. In addition to the MEPA, Consip is also responsible for managing the electronic tender, which allows qualified users to participate in public tenders, offering them the possibility of bypassing entry barriers in the PA sector.

What is the difference between MEPA and Consip?

The main difference between MEPA and Consip is that MEPA is an electronic market intended for the purchase of goods and services by public administrations, while Consip is a company that operates in the public administration sector on behalf of the Ministry of Economy and Finance . MEPA was created in 2007 to replace traditional procurement methods based on public procurement. Furthermore, MEPA offers the possibility for buyers to compare the prices of different products and choose the most convenient one. Consip, on the other hand, is a public law body that deals with researching, negotiating and managing contracts for the direct purchase of the PA at advantageous prices. Consip's main mission is to reduce costs and simplify procedures relating to purchases made by the PA.

When is it mandatory to contact the MEPA?

Since 2016, all public administrations are required to contact the Mepa to purchase goods, services and supplies with a value exceeding 5,000 euros (excluding VAT) . In addition, all contracts entered into with a lower value must be published on the Mepa website within 60 days of their completion. Contracts concluded with a value exceeding €150,000 must also undergo a public procurement procedure. These rules also apply to contracting authorities that use the Mepa to simplify the purchasing procedure. Therefore, when the purchase amount exceeds 5,000 euros, it is mandatory to contact the Mepa.

Are you looking for a public contract?

Searching for a government contract on the MEPA is easy and takes just a few simple steps . First of all, you need to register on the MEPA platform with your personal data. Once registered, the user will have to choose the category of products or services. Subsequently, the offers available can be consulted by providing details such as the start date, price and quantity requested. Finally, it will be sufficient to select the desired offer. MEPA therefore represents a simple and efficient way to find a public contract and provide your offer in a transparent way.

The rules of the CONSIP electronic market and the Procurement Code

The MEPA rules are defined by the Consip Technical Standards , which establish the requirements for participating in the platform. The Procurement Code also defines the obligations of the Public Administration in managing the purchase of goods and services.

Interested suppliers can access the MEPA only after passing a specific registration procedure. To do this, certain criteria must be met and complete documentation must be submitted. Furthermore, they must activate a contract with a supplier authorized by Consip. The contract must also be signed with the supplier to access all MEPA services, such as the electronic submission of offers or consultation of the price catalogue. The Procurement Code establishes general rules on the subject of public contracts, including the ways in which these can be awarded. It also provides for the possibility of resorting to the use of tools such as the MEPA to make purchases in a transparent, contextualised and non-discriminatory manner.

Finally, it is important to remember that compliance with the rules of the MEPA and the Procurement Code is essential for purchases made on the portal to be valid and effective. The sanctions foreseen for those who do not comply with these rules are governed by the legislative provisions in force on the matter.

MEPA how to register

Enrollment in the MEPA (Public Administration Electronic Market) is a simple process that can be performed in just a few steps. First, you need to create an account on the MEPA platform . Once you have registered and entered the required data, you will receive a confirmation email. The next phase consists in inserting the necessary documentation to complete the registration such as the certificate of incorporation, the declaration of not being in a state of bankruptcy or the self-certification of possession of the admission requirements. At this point it is possible to upload your product and/or service catalog to the MEPA and proceed with sending the offer for the tenders in which you have decided to participate. Finally, after all the checks required by the tender have been passed and the award has been obtained, the contract can be signed with the client.

In summary, the simplest procedure to register is:

  • Click on the menu - Login or Register - present on all pages of the PA network purchases portal
  • After this step, you will have to indicate the area of belonging : eg. Italian or EU company.
  • Verify that the information provided by the portal is correct, and by confirming you will receive a username and password.
  • The portal will send us an email, and we should click on the link to confirm the registration.

Network branches project

The Sportelli in Rete project was created with the aim of simplifying access for small companies to the program for rationalizing expenditure for the PA and public tenders. The project is in collaboration with trade associations, which provide help desks to companies for training and information, with particular attention to the MEPA . among the associations involved are Confindustria, Unimpresa, Confagricoltura, Unicamere and Ance.

How to participate in a MEPA tender?

From the showcase of tenders present on the MEPA it is possible to select the tender that interests us and start the enabling procedure by clicking on "Participate". The legal representative of the company must carry out the procedure. It is advisable to update the declarations issued (no longer expiring) if the information in them has changed, beware that an outdated declaration is equivalent to a false one .

The operators admitted to tenders on the MEPA are :

  • single economic operator.
  • Stable consortium with its own enterprise structure.
  • Consortium of labor production cooperatives .
  • Consortium of craft businesses that participates with its own business structure.
  • Network of companies with legal subjectivity.

Author: Loris Modena

Loris Modena

SENIOR FULL STACK DEVELOPERS

For Ind Loris Modena , owner of Arte e Informatica , he began working in the IT sector in 1989 as a systems engineer responsible for the maintenance and installation of IT systems. He began programming for the web in 1997 dealing with CGI programming in PERL and later moving on to programming in PHP and JavaScript. In this period he approaches the Open Source world and the management of Linux servers.

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