Press Release: Public procurement – Commission sets out Action Plan to move public purchasing in Europe online

The European Commission published an Action Plan on 19 January 2005 on electronic public procurement to assist Member States in implementing the new Procurement Directives adopted in 2004. The objective was to enable any business with a PC and an Internet connection to bid for public contracts electronically anywhere in the EU, based on clear conditions and procedures and with all the necessary security. The Directives provided for the first time a coherent EU framework for the transparent and non-discriminatory use of electronic means in public procurement, which is intended to make procurement more competitive and efficient. As public procurement accounted for over 16% of the EU economy, opening up procurement markets was considered to be able to significantly boost competitiveness and reduce government spending.