Public Procurement

The quality of public services is increasingly determined by the professional management of public procurement. Public authorities are increasingly responsible for not only organising and implementing their procurement processes in an effective and efficient manner, but are also being asked more frequently and more insistently to incorporate requirements and criteria into their procurement that contribute to more sustainable, innovative or social objectives. The parameters within which public bodies must tender are not always easy to identify, but must be derived from complex legal, national and European rules, which sometimes also follow from case law. The knowledge that a wrong choice can immediately lead to legal escalation makes contracting authorities cautious and, as a result of this caution, they may not always or not always sufficiently exploit the potential that exists.

CMS has in-depth expertise in the procurement of works, supplies, services, and concessions. In this regard, we have experience in advising both contracting authorities and bidders. Our clients include provinces, municipalities and water boards, contractors and ICT companies. We also count educational institutions, healthcare institutions, transport institutions and housing associations among our clients.

We are proud that our clients enjoy returning to us. We are therefore committed to long-term relationships based on trust and the conviction that we are working together towards the same goal.

Solutions for contracting authorities and registering parties

We have over 100 procurement specialists in 36 countries, giving us global reach. This enables us to assist you not only with national procurement procedures, but also with tenders in other countries or tenders with a cross-border aspect. We are increasingly seeing our clients working across national borders, and they appreciate being able to call on a trusted advisor outside the Netherlands.

This approach means that we can assist you in complex procurement issues with concrete, practical advice and tools regarding, for example, the drafting of tender documents and agreements, the formation and composition of bidding consortia, the protection of confidential information, antitrust issues, evaluations, specific rules on framework agreements, concession contracts and complex public-private partnership projects (PPPs). If you are unsure whether a tender has been conducted correctly, whether the outcome is lawful, or whether you are encountering problems in the performance of the contract after it has been awarded, we will be happy to assist you in or out of court.