Other aspects of procurement

Europe 2020

• Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative, Innovation Union   (Commission Communication)
  
  Europe 2020 issues are also developed in the following documents:
  • Single Market Act   (Commission Communication)
  • Green Paper on the modernisation of EU public procurement policy (coming soon)

Green Public Procurement

Environment:

• Buying Green   – Handbook on environmental public procurement (2011)
  This updated version provides for recent examples of green public procurement drawn from contracting authorities across EU Member States as well some examples of sector-specific green public procurement approaches.
• Public procurement for a better environment (Commission communication – 2008)
• Integrating environmental considerations into public procurement (Commission interpretative communication – 2001)
• Green public procurement Training Toolkit
• Green Public Procurement website

Energy:

• Energy end-use efficiency and energy services (Directive 2006/32/EC)
• EU energy-efficiency labelling programme for office equipment (Regulation 106/2008)
• Promoting use of renewable energy (Directive 2009/28/EC)
• Energy performance of buildings (Directive 2010/ 31/EC)

Transport:

• Promoting clean, energy-efficient road vehicles (Directive 2009/33/EC)
• Clean Vehicles Directive website

Innovation

Pre-commercial procurement:

• Pre-commercial procurement (Commission communication – 2007)
• Pre-commercial procurement website

Lead Markets:

• A lead market initiative for Europe (Commission communication – 2007)
• Lead markets (website)

Risk management:

• Risk management in the procurement of innovation (Report – 2010)

Social

• Buying social – A Guide to Taking Account of Social Considerations in Public Procurement (2010)
  
• Guide on application of EU rules to Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI) (2010)
• Integrating social considerations into public procurement  (Commission communication – 2001)
• Services of general interest, including social services of general interest (Commission communication – 2007)

Ethical trade

• Buying social – A Guide to Taking Account of Social Considerations in Public Procurement (2010)
  
• Fair Trade and non-governmental trade-related sustainability assurance schemes

Enlargement and European Neighbourhood policy

Enlargement:

Public rocurement is one of the areas in which candidate and potential candidate countries are required to align their legislation on the EU rules.

Bilateral market access in the area of public contracts is regulated by Stabilisation and Association Agreements between the EU and most of the candidate and potential candidate countries.

The negotiations on public procurement with Croatia were provisionally closed on 30 June 2010.

See also:

• CCandidate countries
• Potential candidate countries
• Training in public procurement in potential candidate countries (Croatian Portal of Public Procurement)

 

European neighbourhood:

Bilateral cooperation between the EU and its 16 closest neighbours includes clauses on public procurement tailored to the specific bilateral interests in each case. These may include:

• improving market access
• increasing transparency
• reducing discrimination and the use of exemptions
• aligning rules on EU legislation and/or international standards
• dissemination of good practices.

See also: European neighbourhood policy

Small businesses

Small businesses (SMEs) are the backbone of the EU economy and to make the most of their potential for job creation, growth and innovation, they need easier access to public procurement.

See also:

• Opening public procurement to SMEs
• Public Procurement Network
• European Code of Best Practices facilitating access by SMEs to public procurement contracts
  

 

Studies

• Small business access to public procurement in the EU (2010):
  • Full report  
  • Annex  
  • Executive summary  
• Small business access to public procurement in the EU (2007)