Beyond pure pricing, quality criteria should play a key role in awarding public contracts across Europe, according to a new proposal unveiled by the European Commission on Wednesday (9 September).
“The new standard is the best value for money, rather than price alone,” said EU industry commissioner Stéphane Séjourné, presenting a major public procurement reform during a press conference in Brussels.
“Public procurement is a powerful economic lever for Europe. It can fill companies’ order books, but also help us achieve our objectives of social cohesion, the green transition, innovation and sovereignty,” he also said.
About €2.6 trillion of taxpayers’ money is spent yearly on public contracts across the 27-member state bloc, accounting for 15 percent of the EU’s GDP. The vast majority of public procurement appears in public services, infrastructure and supplies.
Of this €2 trillion, about €600bn would be covered by the commission proposal, Séjourné said, arguing that many resources have been lost on complicated public procurement legislation.
