Public Procurement and Effective Dispute Resolution in Portugal

This article addresses the need for disputes arising from public procurement to be resolved quickly and effectively. The Portuguese legislator has adopted measures such as urgent state court proceedings and the creation of specialised public procurement courts to achieve this. Other means of resolution, such as administrative arbitration, has been mobilised. To this end, a specific regime for public procurement arbitration has been developed, imposing its urgent nature. However, the legal nature of public procurement arbitration has been the subject of controversy, especially in relation to its characterisation as voluntary or necessary/mandatory. In this context, this article addresses the legal possibility and the option for a necessary arbitration regime for the resolution of public procurement disputes.