This call for tender should not be done!

Two years ago I had the brillant idea to register me in a call for tender released by the Italian Ministry of Transport in order to hire 70 civil engineers throught three tests. But among extension, postponements and appeal to the TAR (i.e. regional administrative court of law) of Lazio, nowadays it is revoked. I will describe its original and amazing story, useful to understand the critical situation in Italy, on trust and capabilities of Country Administration.

In December 2010 I read this call for tender. In this document the Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti (i.e. Ministry of Transport) announces 2 competitive entrance examination for: 30 administrative civil servants and 70 engineers. I liked the idea to work for my Country and above all the permanent work... Yes, I admit it, on the contrary of the public opinion that desire a temporary job with a type of pay and contract poor or inexistent, I am for the traditional job!

Well, I have compiled the online form, printed and sended it at this Ministry before the 30th day as written in the regulations. But the partial printing of this contest in Gazzetta Ufficiale (i.e. the official newspaper of the Italian State, which publishes approved laws, decrees, and various official announcements) had produced another 30 days of registration extension:

“PRESO atto della mancata pubblicazione dei due concorsi sulla Gazzetta Ufficiale - IV Serie speciale - Concorsi del 14 dicembre 2010 sebbene indicati nel sommario;”. As you can read in Decreto di proroga dei termini di presentazione delle domande di partecipazione ai concorsi. In short: all's well that starts well!!

So I had started to study for the two written examinations and I bought this Manual edited by Edizioni Simone to cover my gaps in administrative, public, private and comunitary law.

Obviously I was not ready for April 8, 2011, date on which the Ministry should publish the timetable for the written examinations. But I'm a lucky man, in fact the Ministry postponed this pubblication in the Gazzetta Ufficiale of June 24, arguing some technical-organizational problems. The same thing at October 18, June 15 2012 and October 18 2012. Finally in this last Gazzetta Ufficiale, I haven't read any new postponement but the definitive revocation of this call for tender!

Unbelievable but it is true, like you can read in this official link.

Of course my preparation to it has decreased linearly along these 20 months, but I would have liked to try it and test myself in a Public Contest.

Here is a forum dedicated to this call for tender, it has 266 messages and 27820 reads, as you can see I am in good company!

In this site I learnt of the favourable verdict of TAR of Lazio passed in Febrary 1, 2012. This one has agreed an appeal of 3 architects (notified in Febrary 2011) that they challenged the impossibility for their profession to take part in this call for tender. And it imposed to the Ministery a solution: explain the reasons of their exclusion.

Don't problem! The real reason that led to revocation of this competition, has a name: spending review (in Italy our politicians use the English words to describe bad things!). Or more precisely two laws: D.L. July 6,  2012 n. 95 and L. n. 135/2012. You can read it in this Gazzetta.

Wow! This is its story, within the facts that I know. In my opinion I didn't think that was so difficult write a call for tender and organize it, but probably it never rains it pours.