Public procurement

Public procurement concerns the process of public authorities purchasing goods, services, or works. EU rules aim at ensuring fair competition and transparency in public tenders, promoting efficiency and innovation. These rules generally apply to contracts above certain value thresholds, while EU Member States’ rules apply to lower-value contracts (although the EU principles of transparency and equal treatment are always apply).  

 

The EU offers various tools and resources related to public procurement, including the Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) platform, which is an online tool that hosts the online version of the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union, where all public tenders above specific contract values must be published. 

 

To learn more about EU rules on public tendering, how to bid for a tender, and how to make the most out of the EU’s tendering process, please check the dedicated pageon the EU’s Access2Markets website, as well as the following dedicated pages:  

The Western Balkans and the EU have included commitments on public procurement in their respective SAAs. The commitments aim at opening up the award of public contracts between the parties and concern, inter alia: 

  • Non-discrimination: the SAAs contain provisions to ensure companies are treated equally in public procurement processes; 
  • Regulatory alignment: Western Balkan parties are encouraged to adopt EU public procurement rules, especially in the utilities sector; and 
  • Adapted timeline for market access:the SAAs vary and provide different timelines for granting market access to EU companies, including transitional periods to gradually reduce the preferential treatment for local companies.  

For more information on the specific commitments on public procurement agreed upon between the EU and each Western Balkan party, please check the annexes to the respective SAA, available here.

The EU-Moldova Association Agreement aims to open public procurement markets in both regions, ensuring fair and transparent competition for businesses. The agreement requires Moldova and the EU to publish tender notices, providing equal treatment to all bidders, and to ensure transparency throughout the procurement process. In this context, Moldova has implemented the MTender platform, which provides online access to procurement information and bidding documents. 

 

To learn more about the public procurement commitments between the EU and Moldova, please check the dedicated page on the EU’s Access2Markets website.