Transatlantic Conference: Effective Contract Administration and Dispute Resolution

Join the Government Procurement Law Program, Pro Silesia Association, the University of Warsaw, University of Silesian in Katowice, and the Polish Public Procurement Law Association for a free public procurement conference bringing together leading judges, practitioners, and professors from Europe and the United States to discuss the challenges of public contract administration and contract disputes in the EU’s member states and to share lessons learned from the US federal procurement system. A special emphasis will be put on innovation and environmentally sustainable procurement – global issues that depend on effective contracting administration and dispute resolution.

Public contract administration has long been overlooked in the EU, which has focused instead on contract formation as a means to European integration. That is rapidly changing and the EU’s member states now recognize the importance of contract administration and effective dispute resolution. For over two centuries, the US government has developed specialized laws and forums for addressing issues in public contract administration – potentially valuable lessons learned for European nations that want to advance innovation and enhance sustainability through effective public procurement.

Please register by March 11, 2020 by emailing [email protected] or [email protected]. The number of places is limited. The meeting will be held in Polish. Simultaneous interpretation into English will be provided.

Agenda

9 am: Registration and Welcome Coffee

10 am: Opening Remarks

• Wiesław Banyś, President, Pro Silesia Association
• Anna Zawidzka, Head of European Law Chair, University of Warsaw, Law and Administration Faculty
• Tomasz Pietrzykowski, Vice President, University of Silesian
• Aldona Kowalczyk, Dentons; President, Public Procurement Law Association

10:30 am: Keynote Speakers 

• Alexandra Harrington, McGill University, Canada and Magdalena Stryja, Silesian University, Polish Bar Council
  • Intersections between Global Governance Regimes and Climate Change Law
• Judge Jeri Somers, Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, Washington DC
  • The role of contract disputes in support of sound procurement from the U.S. perspective
• Katarzyna Kuzma, DZP, Public Procurement Law Association
  • Contract administration in the new Polish Public Procurement Act. Legal measures in the law to advance green and innovative procurement
• Christopher R. Yukins, Lynn David Research Professor in Government Procurement Law; Co-Director of the Government Procurement Law Program, GW Law
  • The hard cases in environmentally sustainable procurement – the US experience

12:30 pm: Coffee Break

1 pm: Panel 1: The role of innovative and environmentally sustainable procurement in the context of the future global challenges (4th Industrial Revolution, 5G, Smart Cities, eco-innovation)

• Moderator: Michał Kania, University of Silesian; Public Procurement Law Association

Discussion by the editors of Joint Public Procurement and Innovation: 

• Gabriella Racca, University of Turin
• Christopher Yukins, GW Law,

Discussion by the editors of Cost and EU Public Procurement Law Life-Cycle Costing for Sustainability:

• Marta Andhov, University of Copenhagen
• Roberto Caranta, University of Turin

2 pm: Lunch 

2:45 pm: Panel II: Improving public procurement, including innovation and environmental sustainability, through contract administration

Moderator:

• Piotr Bogdanowicz, University of Warsaw, Clifford Chance, Public Procurement Law Association

Panelists:

• Paul M. Lalonde, Dentons, Canada
• Anna Specht-Schampera, SDZ Legal, Public Procurement Law Association
• Wojciech Hartung, PhD, DZP, Public Procurement Law Association
• Tomasz Zalewski, Bird & Bird, Public Procurement Law Association

3:45 pm: Coffee Break

4 pm: Panel III: An effective contract dispute resolution system (including ADR methods) in advancing innovative and environmentally sustainable procurement

Moderator:

• Tunde Tatrai, Corvinus University of Budapest

Panelists:

• Mariusz Haładyj, President of the General Counsel to the Republic of Poland
• John Pachter, Smith Pachter McWhorter PLC, Tysons Corner VA, USA
• Judge Jeri Somers, Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, Washington DC
• Paweł Nowicki, PhD, University of Torun, Prof. Wierzbowski & Partners, Public Procurement Council

5 pm: Closing Remarks