Quality and efficiency of the procurement activities for nuclear program developed within S.N. Nuclearelectrica SA

General presentation Public procurement is one of the market area where the results of deregulation not fully met the expectations. This suggests that there are necessary immediate measures in order to improve the contract award procedures, taking in consideration the reactions received as response to the Green Paper publication in 1996 'Public procurement in the European Union: Exploring the way forward'. One of the actions imposed by the program of actions that Romania has to fulfill in order to adhere to the European Union, is that related to the harmonization of the Romanian legislation with European legislation. A very important section of activities, which is in area of interest of the European Commission, is that one related to public procurement, for which conditions related to free competition, efficiency of the public funds consumption, equal rights, transparence and confidentiality are imposed. In 2001 a legislation package was issued through which established were the philosophy, general frame and procedures to be implemented in order to ensure that procurement is done in an efficient manner. Procurement activities, in the broad approach, include acquisition of both goods and services, what implies not only purchasing - buying goods - but also hiring of contractors or consultants to carry out services. Procurement is related to the function of supply management, which encompasses aside range of planning function, coding and classification, stockholding policies, store-keeping, stores accounting, etc. The term 'supply management' indicates, on the other hand, that this function is related to procurement of services and activities or hiring of contractors or consultants. The procurement of goods and services in nuclear energy field, have to respect both aspects, legislation issued by government based on UE recommendations, and special regulations and restrictions imposed by regulations applied in nuclear area. This is realized by applying the procedures prepared on basis of Romanian and international quality standards, in order to ensure a safe operation of the NPPs with a low impact on the environment and population. As an answer to the challenge of the increasing market globalization the ISO quality system, within 9000 family of standards has been developed. The very intensive competition for all market clients, either locally or globally, encouraged a very intensive development of quality requirements and, as consequence, a new concept of quality management systems was developed. The development, construction and operation of a Nuclear Power Plant shall be performed in controlled conditions, based on specific authorizations obtained by the Owner of the NPP from the Romanian Nuclear Regulatory Authorities - National Commission for Nuclear Activities - CNCAN. SN Nuclearelectrica SA - as owner of the Cernavoda NPPs 5 x 700 MW Candu 6 units is responsible for compliance with all the rules of the project development, construction and operation of Cernavoda NPP. The success of operation of a NPP depends by qualification of the operational personnel, quality of operating documentation, and quality of equipment/components installed in the field. It is mandatory that any organizations involved in developing, construction, commissioning and operation of a NPP to perform their activities on the basis of a Quality Management System. Quality Management System as per standard definition provided by ISO 9000/2000 is a set of interrelated or interacting elements needed in establishing the policy and objectives as well as in achieving those objectives. The experience acquired in 8 years of operation of Cernavoda NPP U1 demonstrates that the quality of the items installed on the plant is essential for safe operation. The quality of the items depends strongly by the procurement system established for purchasing goods and services. In order to manage the execution of the internal and international rules related to safety requirements and to maintain a high standard of operational performance imposed by our regulatory body, appropriate procurement systems were developed within SNN SA to provide good quality products and services at a low cost and in a timely manner. The paper addresses the following items: Codes and Standards applicable for Procurement; - Procurement system within SNN SA; - Common procedures for all subsidiaries; Technical and quality requirements identification; - Suppliers selection and qualification; - Rating process; National and international policy affecting public procurement