Public law contract – untapped potential

Abstract

A public-law contract (administrative agreement) is one of those legal forms of activity of public administration, the potential of which in Poland still remains unused. It appears only as a special solution, but there is no systemic solution constituting the general basis for their conclusion. Meanwhile, in most European countries it is a permanent element of the legal system, usually in a general administrative procedure. In Poland, despite several attempts to regulate it, they were ultimately unsuccessful. Hence, it still cannot be an alternative to the classic form of public administration – an administrative act. As a consequence, many contracts concluded by the administration are treated as civil law. This is often done despite the lack of the freedom of contract characteristic of private law.