The 2014 EU Procurement Directives, having been adopted by EU institutions, were published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on 28 March 2014. They came into force on 17 April 2014, with EU Member States given two years to implement them in national legislation.
The changes that have been implemented are intended to simplify rules and procedures; increase the use of e-procurement; reduce the administrative burden on suppliers; and improve public procurement.
Key changes will see a much simpler process for assessing bidders’ credentials with increased use of supplier self-declarations, meaning more responsibility for suppliers but less paperwork as only the winning bidder should have to submit various certificates/documents to prove their status. There is also more freedom to negotiate, with the Negotiated Procedure to be less constrained.
The Directives will mean penalties for previous poor performance; where a supplier has been guilty of poor performance under a previous contract, buyers are now explicitly permitted to exclude them from new contracts. It is also intended to reduce red tape on suppliers’ response times through shorter deadlines.
The Directives affect digital procurement as public authorities are freed from detailed procurement submissions. Information on a public authority’s procurement activity statistics will be collected directly by the Commission from the online system. This will save time for public authorities.
For Member States, e-procurement is to become mandatory 30 months after the Directives’ adoption, offering clarity over use of e-procurement. New requirements coming into force under the new Public Contracts Directive include that all notices are to be sent to the OJEU electronically, that all documents are to be made available electronically, and that all responses to notices are to be submitted electronically.
Delta eSourcing offers a secure EU-compliant e-tendering service, from notice publication to PQQ and ITT creation and exchange; and from online response evaluation to contract award. It is a solution that streamlines the full tender process and reduces the cost of procurement for buyers and suppliers alike.
Delta eSourcing offers buyers access to an established supplier community to engage, identify, assess and qualify suppliers through online supply chain management activities. A central repository is available to manage and monitor performance and key activities, while reporting of contracts and the calling off from framework agreements can be used within the service. It can also connect distributed teams pre and post tender for one-off tender exercises, repetitive procurements or as part of longer-term joint ventures.
In the age of e-procurement and the new EU Directives, Delta eSourcing offers a tendering solution that more than meets the demands of modern-day procurement.
