Public interest and association agreements in the Colombian public procurement system

Abstract

The following paper aims to analyze the legal framework of public procurement created with the expedition of Decree 092 of 2017. Through legal research methods, the paper proposes a systematic analysis of the legal framework recurring to normative, jurisprudence and doctrinal sources. Doing so, this paper will be focus on the definitions, typologies, main features and some problematic issues that the regulation implies. It will be held that this new regulation distinguishes between association public agreements, regulated by Act 489 of 1998 and partly by the mentioned decree, and “public interest” agreements that are supported by article 355 of the Colombian Constitution. About the similarities among both agreements it could be established that, (i) both public contracts must be sign up with nonprofit organization with recognized suitability, (ii) neither can imply a commutative relationship, (iii) both are regulated by the regime of disabilities and incompatibilities provided by Act 80 of 1993, (iv) the legal and constitutional principles of public procurement are applicable to them, and (v) both of them are subjects of the general norms applicable to public procurement except on the precise content of Decree 092 of 2017.