By Laura Contemori – ROME (Econostream) – Italy’s National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC), the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and public procurement agency Consip on Wednesday signed a three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening cooperation in public procurement, with a focus on transparency, interoperability and digitalization.

The deal seals an existing collaboration and aims at boosting the digitalization of the entire lifecycle of public contracts, promoting integration between platforms, improved data sharing and a stronger culture of transparency, the institutions said in a joint press release.

The initiative aims at improving the efficiency of Italy’s public purchasing system through better use of data and closer integration of digital tools and administrative processes.

Key areas of cooperation include strengthening interoperability between databases and digital procurement platforms, developing technical and process-based solutions to support the once-only submission of public procurement data and information, and work on procurement innovation, including developments related to the Virtual Economic Operator File and the simplification of micro-awards.

The memorandum also covers the promotion of a stronger culture of data use and legality, including with regard to subcontract authorizations and contract monitoring.