Public procurement

Public procurement refers to the process by which the public sector awards public money to companies, to buy works, goods or services. Consequently, it is a key policy area for the proper functioning of the internal market, accounting for 14% of the EU GDP.

The 2014 Public Procurement Directives explicitly aim at

• increasing access to procurement markets;
• improving transparency, integrity and data;
• boosting the digital transformation;
• becoming the tool for the implementation of green social and innovative policies in Member States.

The European Commission recommends the overall improvement of the professional skills and competences of the people conducting public procurement at all levels of government.

EIPA’s offer
EIPA supports the Commission’s efforts through training and research. We assist in avoiding the most common errors such as non-respect of general principles, wrong selection of tendering procedures, a need to substantially modify the contract or lack of risk prevention.

Furthermore, our experts can also help in making your public procurement strategic, ensuring that green, social and innovation considerations are taken into account and evaluated.

We offer an extensive training portfolio to EU and national, regional or local public buyers, to build the capacities within their teams in their procurement-specific competences, such as

• planning and preparing the pre-award phase;
• writing the tender with functional specifications;
• choosing the right acquisition procedures and award formulas;
• ensuring the best combination of quality and price;
• managing the procedure well and monitoring the performance of the contract;
• following up the execution and evaluating the results.