Institutional Channels in Poland

Poland keeps its economy on the move

Poland’s economy continues to grow steadily. Real GDP is expected to increase by 3.5% in 2016, compared with the 3.7% recorded in 2015. Maintaining positive growth in orders from manufacturing, increased demand for labour and declining unemployment, as well as robust domestic demand supported by gains in household disposable incomes and low interest rates all had a positive effect on economic growth in the country in 2016. On the other hand, controversial government reforms planned or implemented by the ruling party which can result in higher public debt have made investors and corporations wary about doing business in the country.

New rules for public procurement

Public procurement is one of the most important sectors of the Polish economy and is worth in the region of PLN140 billion annually, according to the Public Procurement Office, an independent unit within the Polish government. The process of implementation of EU directives in the Polish legal system that had to be completed by April 2016 entailed changes being made to the Polish Public Procurement Law. These amendments abolished the lowest price criterion, instead privilege the criterion of the “economically most advantageous tender”. Companies which base their staffing policies on employment contracts are preferred. These changes are expected to influence the rising quality of the procured services as well as quality of procured equipment, uniforms and sanitary/cleaning goods.

Poland as the destination for outsourced business services

Poland is one of the world’s leaders in the business-services sector, especially as a destination for outsourced business services, according to the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ). This sector of business thrives in Poland, both in terms of growth in investment and employment. In 2015, the Polish outsourcing and offshoring sector employed between 170,000 and 200,000 people, according to various sources. The fastest growing area of outsourcing is BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) and SSC (Shared Services Centres). Poland is a country which has become an attractive place for open outsourcing centres due to its low operating costs and well-educated workforce. The development of this industry continues to have a positive effect on the boom being seen in new office developments.

Intelligent building management on the rise

A process of polarisation can be observed in Poland as large companies acquire smaller players and bring new elements to their facility management services. Both comprehensive facility management operators possessing the resources to self-provision of services as well as companies focusing on technical property management and outsourcing other services to subcontractors operate on the market. With the new investments in retail and residential buildings, the number of so-called ‘intelligent buildings’ and, consequently, demand for facility management continue to increase.

The disconcerting impact of a rising contract service costs

In Poland, temporary employment remains widespread, mainly among those involved in low-skilled jobs in the service sector such as contract cleaning and security. In 2016, a high number of legislative changes came into force and this improved the working conditions of many temporary employees, although at the same time it substantially increased the cost of doing business in the country. These changes to the law are expected to result in higher fixed costs for small contract cleaning, security and consumer foodservice operators, which is set to lead to the closure of some companies. Larger operators benefitting from superior economies of scale and which offer a more complete range of services are likely to be able to spread these cost increases, making them more convenient options for their customers and enabling them to gain market share. The significant increases being seen in the prices of services in Poland are likely to contribute to growth in the grey economy in services and the promotion of ‘insourcing’ during the forecast period.

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