New rules for procurement, the establishment of a single national Superintendence to speed up authorizations, a preferential lane to give work to young people and women, help for the elderly for Spid (the public digital identity system for accessing public administration services ). Here are some of the most important innovations introduced by the Council of Ministers with the green light to the new decree on simplifications and governance linked to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr). Here, in 65 articles, is the turbo with which the Draghi government plans to allow Italy to concretely collect the first tranche of almost 25 billion of the European Recovery Fund.
"The funds of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr) must necessarily be spent by 2026 and to be sure that this happens in Italy there is a lot to change", is a summary of what the premier said to CGIL, CISL and UIL but also to the 12 ministers meeting on Thursday morning in the control room to untie the last knots. The rules on simplifications and governance must be approved by the end of May in order to access the advance of EU funds which should arrive by the end of the summer. Pd, Leu and the Five Stars have obtained that the criterion of the maximum discount for the award of contracted works disappears from the decree.
INTEGRATED PROCUREMENT AND MAXIMUM DISCOUNT
All agree in eliminating from the draft of the decree the criterion of the maximum discount for the awarding of contracted works. After the controversies of the last few days, the ceiling for subcontracting up to 40 October 50 rises from 31 to 2021%. However, the decree provides detailed guarantees in favor of workers and their safety.
Another issue is that of the contracting authorities: a crowd of bodies contract out the works of the Public Administration. In the past, attempts have been made to reduce their number several times, but without success. Mario Draghi wants a breakthrough on this point and aims to drastically reduce the number of contractors. The decree will give the green light to the integrated tender which allows joint awarding of the design and execution of the works to the same company. Finally expected the extension to 30 June 2023 of the numerous exceptions to the procurement code already decided during the pandemic in order to get the construction sites back in motion. Among these, even the one that relieves public officials and avoids the so-called "escape from the signature". The amount allowed for direct assignments, i.e. those without a tender, has risen.
MORE SPACE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND WOMEN
The decree introduces a preferential rule to favor, in calls for tenders, notices and invitations, and to promote "youth entrepreneurship, gender equality and the recruitment of young people, under the age of 36, and women". . In practice, companies run by young people and women will have a rewarding score in contracts.
SIMPLIFY AND ACCELERATE AUTHORIZATIONS
A privileged place, in the government's plans, is that for the construction of the fiber optic network and for the diffusion of broadband and ultra-broadband. The permits that allow excavations to start go from 6 to a maximum of 3 months. But above all - and this is an important novelty - an ad hoc commission and a single national Superintendency is created for all the works included in the Pnrr., with tighter deadlines for silent consent. The rule is particularly innovative because the stumbling block of the various Superintendencies into which the ministry of cultural heritage is divided on a territorial basis, is one of the big stumbling blocks to the authorizations of infrastructures and works: for example with regard to photovoltaic systems on the ground, wind turbines and other urgent works foreseen by the Next Generation Eu agenda. Precisely for the repowering of renewables, hindered by a thousand appeals, changes will be introduced to the various procedures such as the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) but also a supercommittee of 40 technicians will be set up on the Special Committee of the Superior Council for Public Works.
SPID AND HELP TO THE ELDERLY
To help elderly people with greater difficulty navigating online, it is possible to delegate the Spid to a relative. But there are also fines – from 10 to 100 euros – for administrations that delay the introduction of digital services, technological innovation and digitization as required by the European Digital Agenda.
GOVERNANCE AND TASK FORCE
How will the management of the massive investment plan worth over 200 billion be guaranteed? It will take place on three levels. The general guidelines and priorities will be the responsibility of the premier directly, supported, from time to time, by the competent ministers for the matter concerned. A second level will then be the technical secretariat at Palazzo Chigi. It will be able to count on 350 technicians recruited also with new hires and will give technical indications to the premier and ministers in view of the individual decisions to be taken. The third level is entrusted to the Mef, Ministry of Economy and Finance, which is responsible for monitoring and accounting supervision of investments. Responsibility for individual projects remains with the local authorities (Regions and Municipalities) but Palazzo Chigi will be able to intervene with substitutive powers in the event that deadlines and obligations are not respected.
ENERGY SUPERBONUS ALSO FOR HOTELS
The draft decree provided for the extension of the energy superbonus also to hotels and pensions (cadastral category D / 2), but the rule was removed during the CDM. Instead, the extension is planned for nursing homes, hospitals, clinics, colleges, hospices and barracks.
