Building bonuses, squeeze for works over 516 thousand euros. Smes alarm: “80% of companies excluded”

MILANO – Tighter links on using building bonuses. From 1 July 2023, to benefit from it in the case of works over 516 thousand euros, it will be necessary to turn to companies that have the SOA certification, until now necessary for companies to be able to participate in public tenders. This is foreseen by an amendment to the dl Ukraine bis, approved by the Industry and Finance committees of the Senate.

The tightening, introduced to counter the phenomenon of bonus scams and to ensure better standards of safety and transparency on construction sites, has triggered the alarm of small businesses, according to which the new stake risks limiting access to jobs to the overwhelming majority of companies: “Parliament assumes the serious responsibility of excluding about 80% of micro and small businesses from the building redevelopment market by introducing new and incomprehensible bureaucratic barriers”, explain Confartigianato and Cna.

The obligation to apply for the SOA will start from January 1, because from that date companies will have to demonstrate that they have made at least the request to the certification bodies. From 1 July they will have to have obtained the actual certification to be able to work.

“Still a bureaucratic barrier in the troubled history of eco-bonuses”, complain Confartigianato and Cna, who explain that they worked over the weekend to convince parliamentarians about the “inopportunity” of the law. “Even in the reformulation of the provision that mitigates its impact, what was approved constitutes an unacceptable principle, which effectively excludes companies that do not work for public procurement from the redevelopment work and extends a system designed for public works to the private sector, that it has nothing to do with the qualification of companies “, explain the organizations, underlining how” even in the public, SOAs have not shown particular effectiveness and have no use in combating fraud “. The only effect of the rule will be “the umpteenth slowdown in the execution of the works and the opening of a relevant business for companies that issue SOA certificates”, they conclude.

Green light to Golden power also for hydroelectric concessions

However, this is not the only significant change in the text under examination in the committee. Among the amendments approved there is also the extension of the golden power to the concessions of “large hydroelectric derivation”. The modification – contained in an amendment by the Senator of the M5s Andrea Cioffi – extends the special powers of the State already in the strategic sectors of energy, transport and communications also to concessions of regional competence.