A new landscape for procurement
13 September 2012
The European Union is aiming for a simpler public-sector purchasing regime. Rebecca Ellinor assesses the main features and how it is likely to work in the UK
The total public procurement spend across Europe is big business. It represents more than €1,500 billion (about £1,000 billion) – more than 16 per cent of the gross domestic product of the European Union. So new rules governing the award and tendering of contracts for that business are also a big deal.
The directives – 2004/18/EC and 2004/17/EC – cover public-...