An analysis of the criteria used to draw up tendering procedures for waste collection services

Abstract

Purpose: Public cleaning services, particularly waste collection services, are extremely costly to public finances, especially when such services are outsourced. According to research conducted by Souza (1999) in municipalities of the southern region in 2006, it was found that the municipal budget allocated for urban cleaning varies according to the population size, ranging from 1.94% to 8.19% of the total budget. Recently, there has been much discussion about the cost of urban cleaning services, as proposals and values for waste collection services provided by outsourced companies or even directly by the municipal government are several times higher than the costs that the Public Administration should bear, being abusive and consequently burdening the public budget. In this sense, this study aims to analyze the criteria for drafting notices for contracting urban cleaning services, focusing on observing criteria that comply with constitutional principles of legality, impersonality, morality, publicity, efficiency, and economy, as well as whether they are based on information regarding cost accounting theory.

Methodology: Initially, a literature review was conducted through keyword searches for "notices," "waste collection," and "urban cleaning" in databases such as Scopus, Spell, and Web of Science to deepen issues related to solid waste management. Subsequently, using a checklist based on bidding laws 8.666/1993 and 14.133/2021, the necessary elements for notices contracting waste collection service providers were identified. Finally, through LicitMais Brasil (a bidding automation manager) and Effective platform for bids, we analyzed a sample of 18 notices prepared for contracting waste collection service companies from January 2023 to August 2024.

Results: The bidding notices for contracting waste collection service companies highlight that the cost of waste has been the subject of various investigations by the Public Ministry, which often considers contracted services abusive and burdensome to a significant portion of municipal budgets. Based on the study analysis, it was found that notices for contracting urban cleaning services lack sufficient criteria to establish the necessary costs for providing this service. The absence of these criteria by municipal managers often leads to hiring companies with inflated prices that do not provide proper service because the notices do not detail the contracted services or lack oversight, which can lead to irregularities or fraud.

Research limitations: The study identifies as a limitation the analyzed period and its nature as a case study. Additionally, it notes the variables used for data collection.

Practical implications: With the results presented in this study, we hope that managers involved in the process of contracting waste collection services in public management can use this as a reference for drafting proposals in bidding processes. It should also be utilized in ensuring legality, impersonality, morality, publicity, efficiency, and economy.

Originality: The study discusses tools that can be used in defining service prices and measuring the cost of urban cleaning for Municipal Management. It is research that uses data extracted from the executing agent and confronts it with literary discussions to expand control tools.