Vehicle registration plates - Management of the Federal State’s concessions
general assembly on April 28, 2022
In its report to the Federal Parliament, the Belgian Court of Audit examined how the concessions awarded by the Federal State for issuing vehicle registration plates and certificates had been managed. Although the outsourcing was prepared in 2010, the underlying estimates (costs, savings and efficiency and quality gains of the service to users) cannot be verified. The first concession contract was renewed in 2019, without any comprehensive assessment being sent to the Council of Ministers. It is therefore impossible to demonstrate that outsourcing is more economical and efficient than own management nor easy to confirm that the fees paid by users are proportionate to the real costs. Furthermore, the contract specifications fail to comply with the regulations on concession contracts and provide a disproportionate competitive advantage to the incumbent concession holder. Finally, even if the second concession is generally executed in accordance with the contract specifications, the control of the concession holder’s activities is insufficient and does not ensure the correct calculation of revenues for the Federal State.