Simona Bucura-Oprescu, Ministry of Labor, announced a decree with a series of important steps for the ministry, aiming to implement provisions regarding the purchase of an annual subscription to an online communication software, according to an official statement.
Simona Bucura-Oprescu says that the initiative is part of the project "Promoting, monitoring and evaluating social economic evolution and social entrepreneurship in Romania", code MySMIS 337446, and aims to strengthen the institution's capacity to organize meetings and colloquiums in virtual format.
The purchase, estimated at 1.300 lei excluding VAT (1.547 lei including VAT), is to be carried out through a simplified procedure, in accordance with the provisions of Article 7, paragraph 5 of Law 98/2016 on public procurement. Based on this article, the contracting authority may directly purchase products or services whose cost excluding VAT does not exceed the ceiling of 270.120 lei, in compliance with the principles of transparency, equal treatment and non-discrimination provided for in public procurement legislation.
Simona Bucura-Oprescu established that the subscription will be selected from the electronic catalog available on the SEAP platform, and interested economic operators are required to publish their offers on the website www.e-licitatie.ro after the winner is designated. The technical offer must describe all the functionalities of the program, and the financial proposal, expressed in lei with a maximum of two decimal places, must fall within the funds allocated for the contract.
The documentation provides for a validity period of 30 days from the submission deadline for bids, and the award criterion will be the lowest price for the bids declared admissible. Alternative or late bids will not be accepted.
Simona Bucura-Oprescu emphasized that the online conferencing application must offer a wide range of functionalities, essential for the institution's activity. These include the possibility of organizing video meetings with up to a thousand participants, support for public and private text chat during sessions, as well as audio and video recording options, both locally and in the cloud.
The solution must allow for screen or application sharing, as well as real-time collaboration through annotations, discussion groups, and interactive whiteboards. Other requirements include support for VoIP audio and the option to access via phone, setting custom or predetermined virtual backgrounds, and the use of emoticons for reactions during meetings.
Simona Bucura-Oprescu also decided that from a security point of view, the application will have to use end-to-end AES 256 encryption to ensure the confidentiality of conversations and transmitted data.
Participant control is another important aspect. The videoconference host will be able to manage access, speaking and screen sharing rights, to prevent unauthorized interruptions and maintain the quality of the debates. The CPV code associated with the contract is 48515000-1, related to videoconferencing software packages.
Simona Bucura-Oprescu also states in the invitation to participate that her ministry aims, through this initiative, to modernize the internal communication method and with external partners, while also adapting to the new realities imposed by technological evolution and the need for social distancing.
The acquisition of this digital tool is part of the general strategy of optimizing public services and streamlining administrative activity, as a result of which beneficiaries of social programs will have easier access to quality information and consultancy.
