The reservation of the right to participate in public procurement procedures for social and professional integration of veterans and other disadvantaged persons as a legal means of promoting justice in society

Abstract

The present article is dedicated to the potential use of public procurement as a means of establishing justice in society and the implementation of social policy goals, particularly regarding the professional and social integration of war veterans and other disadvantaged persons. It is emphasized that one of the mechanisms for realizing these goals is the reservation of the right to participate in public procurement for certain categories of economic operators. The paper highlights the experience of the EU in reserving the right to participate in procurement, as provided for in Article 20 of Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement. Special consideration is given to the fact that the use of the concept of “indigent persons” in translations of Directive 2014/24/EU into Ukrainian narrows the purpose of this norm. Therefore, it is proposed to use the concept of “disadvantaged persons” along with the concept of “disabled persons”. The authors suggest envisaging in the Law of Ukraine “On Public Procurement” a provision regarding the reservation by contracting authorities of the right to participate in procurement for specified economic operators, with the purpose of promoting the social and professional integration of disabled and disadvantaged persons. Furthermore, the authors propose the possibility of such reservation in the context of implementing relevant sheltered employment programmes as it is provided by the Directive 2014/24/EU. Based on the experience of the EU Member States, it is concluded that war veterans, as defined in the Law of Ukraine “On the Status of War Veterans, Guarantees, and Their Social Protection”, can be covered by the concept of “disadvantaged persons” and can benefit from the reservation of public procurement contracts. It is proposed not to define the list of disadvantaged persons as exhaustive, considering that in the conditions of war and post-war reconstruction, such individuals may include family members of fallen soldiers, women and young people returning from abroad, internally displaced persons, and others based on the priorities of post-war reconstruction in Ukraine. It was emphasized on the important requirement for economic operators to use the right of participation in reserved procurement, in particular the main purpose of their activity, which can be confirmed – social and professional integration of war veterans or other disadvantaged persons. Furthermore, suggestions have been developed to ensure non-discrimination and compliance with international obligations when introducing provisions regarding reserved procurement contracts in domestic legislation.