The Italian National Anticorruption Authority (ANAC) in the regulatory reform of public procurement contracts

It was already clear in the late 1980s that the public procurement sector in Italy, particularly large-scale public building contracts, was fertile ground for the development of corruption. Italian Decree Law 90/2014 marks a real turning point in the matter of oversight of public procurement contracts.Art. 19 of the Decree deals wOne fundamental criterion of the reform was, therefore, the concentration of functions concerning the prevention of corruption and administrative transparency in the hands of ANAC; in this way, the role of the Authority is made clearer since it becomes a reference point for the whole system as regards oversight, prevention of corruption and transparency in the sensitive sector of public procurement contractsith the ANAC (Autorità Nazionale Anticorruzione – National Anticorruption Authority) and sets out the arrangements concerning the functions allocated to it and its administrative support structure. The previously existing Authority (AVCP) is abolished and a clearer division is made between the functions of the ANAC and those of the Dipartimento della funzione pubblica (the Italian government body responsible for the functioning of the state administration).