The Public Procurement Gazette

On 3 April and 26 March, the European Commission began two investigations into a solar project in Romania involving ENEVO Group and Shanghai Electric. Both companies withdrew from the process, ending the investigations. These were the second and third cases under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, following one with CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive in Bulgaria on March 26.

DrugDetect, an EU-funded project, improves drug detection in prisons. Through a Competitive Dialogue, ‘908 Devices Inc’ won Lot 1, and ‘Rohde & Schwarz Benelux B.V’ secured Lot 3. The project now validates operational processes for Lot 1 and prepares for Lot 3, refining solutions through Innovation Validation.

There are many tools available for Public Buyers to promote the innovation of products, including Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI). In this Insight we answer the following question: How to encourage public administrations to develop and procure innovation through public procurement.

Socially responsible public procurement can help ensure decent working conditions by enforcing labour standards and upholding workers’ rights. Initiatives like the ‘Oslo model’ demonstrate success in promoting human rights within procurement contracts. Merete Clausen of DG GROW underscored the significance of public procurement in realising the EU’s strategic goals, noting that it amounts to 20 times the EU budget.

The Council Conclusions on the European Court of Auditors’ (ECA) Special Report 28/2023 on Public Procurement were published in the Official Journal on 3 June 2024. The conclusions highlight the key role of public procurement in achieving strategic objectives of the EU and the importance of promoting a competitive and efficient public procurement market within the EU.

The latest meeting of the Commission Government Experts Group on Public Procurement (EXPP) was convened on 30 May 2024 in Brussels to address critical topics shaping the future of public procurement within the EU.

The EU’s public procurement of medical devices is open to Chinese bidders and supplies. The Commission has identified measures and practices in the Chinese procurement market for medical devices that lead to discrimination against EU operators and EU-made supplies. The Commission has discussed these concerns on different occasions with the Chinese authorities, which have not proposed a satisfactory solution. This is why on 24 April 2024 the Commission launched an investigation under the International Procurement Instrument. This procedure provides for a structured framework to engage with China in a constructive dialogue to find a satisfactory solution.

The European Commission will soon be launching PPE+ Europe, a new training programme for professionals working in central purchasing bodies (CPBs) across Europe.

As part of the ongoing ‘Organisation of workshops in the 27 Member States to develop a dialogue on the use of strategic public procurement (green, social and innovation)’, Luxembourg hosted two insightful half-day workshops which were held on 22 April and 3 May 2024. Around 30 key figures from various sectors attended, discussing challenges and solutions in areas like green initiatives, social responsibility, and innovation. Together, they drafted a roadmap to enhance procurement practices, showing a strong commitment to positive change.

On 26 June 2024, the European Commission will officially launch the 2024-2025 edition of the European Innovation Procurement Awards. The societal challenge for the 2024-2025 European Innovation Procurement Awards focus on the 'net zero’ economy, in line with the EU's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.