Many studies analyse factors (such as corruption, competitiveness, transaction costs), which are influencing public procurement efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to find out, what the main factors are in Slovakia that are influencing public procurement efficiency, and based on our analysis, we will also estimate what is the impact of each factor on the efficiency of public procurement in Slovakia.The research for this paper was executed in three stages. We began with a small number of face-to-face in-depth interviews with specialist procurement advisors to contracting authorities. In the second stage, we created draft questionnaires for contracting authorities and for suppliers, and once we tested questionnaires, it was sent to 13,571 suppliers and to 4,300 contracting authorities. In the last stage, we used various types of analyses to examine identified factors.There is significant agreement between suppliers and contractors that the two main factors causing inefficiencies are excessive bureaucracy and corruption or other ethical shortcomings. It is shown that insufficient competition, and the excessive use of the lowest price criterion for selecting winning bids, add further inefficiencies. Savings are greatest when there are between 6 and 8 bidders. E-auctions generally produce larger savings than more traditional methods, but Slovak procurement procedures are costly, compared to most other EU states.This paper contributes to the understanding of what are the core factors which may influence public procurement efficiency. It also provides valuable information for government officials on how to change public procurement rules in order to achieve higher efficiency.

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E-public procurement has a great potential to improve public procurement processes. It helps to increase competitiveness, and the use of digital technologies also minimizes transaction costs for business, increases trust and the transparency of decisions made by public customers. Th e goal of this case study is to analyze the functionalities of the Kazakh e-procurement web portal EPP, to evaluate them in a national and comparative perspective and to propose recommendations with a focus on selected process issues and its cybersecurity in the condition of digital transformation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Th e analysis of functionalities of EPP from planning to execution of the contract allows it to propose important changes with the potential to increase competitiveness and decrease transaction costs of procurement in the country. Th e specifi c focus is on cybersecurity and proposals how to increase it.

Zvyšovanie efektívnosti verejného obstarávania predstavuje jeden z kľúčových faktorov fungovania systému verejných financií. Slovenské zdravotníctvo je príkladom odvetvia, ktoré zápasí s permanentnými finančnými problémami, riešeniu ktorých by napomohlo aj zlepšenie fungovania verejného obstarávanie v tomto rezorte. Cieľom našej štúdie je overiť, aký je súčasný stav verejného obstarávania v slovenskom zdravotníctve, prostredníctvom analýzy ako technickej, tak aj alokačnej efektívnosti. Ako výskumnú vzorku sme zmapovali všetky evidované obstarávania v slovenskom zdravotníctve (2141 prípadov) za roky 2014 až 2019 a úplne podrobne sme preskúmali všetky nákupy zdravotníckej techniky nemocnicami v roku 2017 (11 evidovaných nákupov). Výsledky plne dokladujú hlavné problémy. Efektívnosť limituje nízka miera súťaživosti a tým nevyužívanie potenciálu konkurencie pri dosahovaní hospodárnosti a efektívnosti, nadmerné využívanie kritéria najnižšej ceny pri výbere ešte situáciu zhoršuje a skutočnosť, že verejné obstarávania sa pripravujú bez potrebnej ex-ante analýzy účinnosti plánovaného nákupu.

Virtual reality is currently a phenomenon that is transmitted from the scientific field to real life more and more, and its application can be observed in several sectors. This technology provides a whole new perspective on various areas that we, as ordinary mortals, would find very difficult to reach. It allows us to see and even feel things, that are often very difficult to reach in real life. Starting with various simulations of dangerous work activities and ending with complicated scientific experiments, virtual reality provides a wide utilization, that pushes the boundaries of research and human capabilities further again. But is VR suitable for anyone, is it safe enough? Does VR have any limitations that make it impossible for it to be fully exploited and put into practice?