Public procurement guide

Public procurement is a powerful tool for governments trying to create dynamic, innovative and sustainable markets, economies and societies. According to the European Commission, “every year, over 250,000 public authorities in the EU spend around 14% of GDP on the purchase of services, works and supplies” and EU countries are not the only ones to recognise this. Knowing the importance of having a reliable system to handle this spending, countries set out minimum harmonised public procurement rules. The CMS Public Procurement Group offers you a comprehensive guide to the most relevant procurement issues in 19 jurisdictions.

In this CMS guide to public procurement we set out the key rules, thresholds, and procedures for contracting authorities and suppliers; indicate whether it is mandatory or voluntary to use e-procurement or e-signatures; and detail the extent to which procurement contracts can be amended after being awarded.

Our public procurement specialists cover the key questions concerning access to and the conduct of public procurement competitions. They also highlight the key similarities and important differences between the national regimes in 20 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. We expect updates from other jurisdictions where we have public procurement expertise in the coming months. 

If you have any questions regarding public procurement or if you need advice regarding any of these jurisdictions, please feel free to contact the local experts who authored the relevant chapters or any of the CMS public procurement experts included on the CMS Public Procurement Contact Card.