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Public Procurement
What is it?
Public Procurement means the purchasing of services and goods by national, regional and local public bodies, including central government, local authorities, fire and police authorities, defence, health services, joint consortia of public bodies, and public and private utilities.
Any organisation which falls within the above list, known as 'contracting authorities', needs to comply with strict European regulations when purchasing goods and services. Many of these comprise large contracts which must be advertised throughout Europe in the OJEU.
The EC public purchasing rules apply to the 15 member states and also to the European Economic Area (EEA - Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) and to many countries associated with the Union, for instance those covered by Europe Agreements (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia). Agreements have also been made with Turkey, Morocco and Tunisia to develop competitive public procurement practices.
What is it for?
The EU public procurement market is a fundamental part of the Single Market and is governed by rules intended to remove barriers and open up new, non-discriminatory and competitive markets.
The principle of public procurement is to open up the choice of potential suppliers to the public sector and utilities resulting in reduced cost, while at the same time, opening up potential markets for companies.
The intention is to facilitate the free movement of goods and services within the EU whilst ensuring that public sector purchasing decisions are based on value for money achieved through competition and using objective criteria in tendering and contract award procedures.
How does it work?
Whether or not you are a supplier to the public sector or a "contracting authority" there are rules with which you must comply. Whilst the regulations are designed to open up the markets and ensure, as far as possible, a "level playing field", without knowledge of how the regulations work, it is virtually impossible to compete to supply to the public sector.
How can we help?
We have extensive experience working both for suppliers to the public sector and assisting contracting authorities navigate the procurement regulations. With experience on both sides of the fence, we understand how to make sure that the rules are complied with, the contracts are effective and the risks are managed.