European Commission concludes public consultation on the evaluation of the public procurement Directives

On 7 March, the European Commission has concluded its public consultation on the evaluation of Directives 2014/23/EU (the Concessions Directive), 2014/24/EU (the Public Procurement Directive), and 2014/25/EU (the Utilities Directive). During the 12 weeks of consultation open in the Have your Stay portal, stakeholders had the opportunity to share their experiences and provide feedback on the legislation under evaluation.

The exercise attracted 949 replies to the call for evidence and 733 responses to the open public consultation.

The consultation received responses from a wide range of stakeholders, with the highest participation from public authorities (call for evidence: 196, open public consultation: 199), followed by EU citizens (168) in the call for evidence and businesses (150) in the open public consultation.

Moreover, the initiatives achieved broad geographical coverage, with contributions from stakeholders across 36 countries, with the highest participation from Germany (call for evidence: 141, open public consultation: 193), Belgium (call for evidence: 132, open public consultation: 102), and Sweden in the call for evidence (85) and France in the open public consultation (75). This diversity ensures that the evaluation captures a comprehensive range of perspectives on the functioning of the current public procurement framework. 

What's next?

The Commission is now analysing the feedback received, alongside ongoing input from expert groups and targeted consultations. The findings from these initiatives will inform the next stages of process, including the preparation of an impact assessment.

A ‘factual summary report’ summarising the key elements of the public consultation will be published within 8 weeks of the closure of the public consultation, along with the contributions to the public consultation on the ‘Have your say’ web portal.

Updates on the evaluation's progress will be available on the Commission’s website, and stakeholders are encouraged to stay informed through official channels.