CQOP SOA participated in the Portofino Talks 2026, the second edition of the forum bringing together institutions, businesses, and the financial world, held in Portofino on September 18 and 19, 2026. At the center of the debate was the future of company qualification in the public procurement market, with a decisive focus on new technologies.
Representing the company was Desiderio Berdini, Member of the Board of Directors and Chief Innovation Officer of CQOP SOA, who spoke in the panel “Building for Growth: Between Rules and Investments”. He highlighted how artificial intelligence must always be supported by data reliability and verifiability to ensure transparency and an increasingly integrated European infrastructure market.
The panel: infrastructure, investments, and company qualification
The roundtable brought together complementary expertise from across the entire infrastructure sector, joining local administrations, institutions, and private capital:
- Elisabetta Pellegrini, Head of the Mission Structure at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and Commissioner for the Housing Plan;
- Mauro Fabris, Vice President of Strada dei Parchi;
- Marco Corsini, Extraordinary Commissioner for the A24 and A25 motorways;
- Giacomo Possamai, Mayor of Vicenza;
- Filippo Ghirelli, Founder of Infracorp;
- Desiderio Berdini, Member of the Board of Directors and Chief Innovation Officer of CQOP SOA.
Delivering infrastructure projects requires planning, resources, and capable authorities, but above all, it requires a solid system for company qualification. The event underscored the need for clear rules and highly reliable competency verification systems.
Artificial intelligence and SOA qualification: the value of verifiable data
In his speech, Desiderio Berdini explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on document analysis and the verification of company requirements. SOA qualification is based on verifying the necessary criteria for companies to operate in the public works market. In this area, digitalization and AI can support the examination of documentation, the cross-referencing of information, and the detection of inconsistencies.
However, handling massive volumes of data makes one aspect crucial: knowing its origin, reliability, and verifiability. Digitally accessible information must be traceable to its source and evaluated within the context of the verification process.
This is where the experience of the SOA system makes the difference, combining the speed of technology with essential human expertise and responsibility in document evaluation, while keeping information reliability at the core.
Guests at the Portofino Talks 2026: institutions, industry, and research
The event addressed the major transformations facing the country: healthcare, land management, security, and industrial competitiveness. To facilitate dialogue between national strategies and the actual operational needs of local areas, the sessions saw the participation of high-profile institutional figures:
- Ignazio La Russa, President of the Senate of the Republic;
- Edoardo Rixi, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport;
- Maurizio Lupi, President of Noi Moderati;
- Alberto Cirio, President of the Piedmont Region;
- Joerg Eberhart, CEO of ITA Airways;
- Carlo Mearelli, Commissioner of ENAC.
The discussion on innovation and industrial development also involved Giuseppe Cossiga, President of AIAD; Davide Fazio, Chief Commercial Officer of Leonardo; Alessio Lechiara, CEO of Econocom Italia; Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of University and Research; and Matteo Bassetti of the University of Genoa.
Towards a more integrated European procurement market
The presence at the Portofino Talks is part of CQOP SOA’s ongoing commitment to the future of economic operator qualification and the European public procurement market.
The real challenge is making corporate experience easily verifiable and comparable across different member countries. The use of artificial intelligence and data interoperability are valuable tools, but they require shared evaluation criteria and reliable information.
CQOP SOA thus confirms its commitment: promoting clear rules, verifiable data, and the highest level of evaluative expertise to support the integration of the European infrastructure and public procurement market.
