Direct awards in Portugal.
A direct award is a public contract granted with no tender: the body picks the supplier directly. It is legal below certain value thresholds, but it concentrates risk, because there is less competition, prices tend to be higher and scrutiny is lower.
Not every direct award is a problem. For small, urgent purchases a tender would be slow and costly. The warning sign is the pattern: many direct awards near the legal limit, large repeated values with the same supplier, or a share of the total that grows without explanation.
Questiona measures that share from a recent sample of the official data and lets you follow it down to the specific contract, the body paying and the company being paid.
Frequently asked questions
Is a direct award illegal?
No. It is a legal procedure below certain value thresholds set in the Public Contracts Code. What deserves attention is excessive use or working around those thresholds.
How do I see how much is spent by direct award?
Questiona computes the percentage and euro value awarded by direct award in a recent sample, with the data date shown, and surfaces the largest cases.
Can I see the largest direct awards?
Yes. Start from the large direct-award purchases theme and follow each contract to who receives the money.