Useful Orgalim event on public procurement rules and European competitiveness

The discussion highlighted public procurement’s significant economic weight — roughly 14 % of EU GDP — and underscored the potential of reform to streamline procedures, reduce regulatory burden, and strengthen the internal market. 

You can watch the full recording of the webinar via the button below.

Key themes and takeaways from the debate:

• Strategic procurement: Panelists called for procurement rules to go beyond cost and compliance, using public contracts to drive strategic goals — including sustainability, innovation, social value, circular economy and climate-smart procurement. 
• Simplicity and digitalisation: Reform should lead to simpler, more flexible rules, aided by digital tools. This is especially important to make procurement accessible and efficient — and to avoid fragmentation across Member States. 
• Level playing field for SMEs: As almost 98 % of Orgalim’s membership consists of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), simple and technology-neutral rules — and recognition of total cost of ownership instead of upfront cost — are essential to ensure SMEs can compete fairly and benefit from public procurement. 
• Procurement as a policy lever: Rather than being a mere administrative function, procurement was framed as a strategic tool: a bridge between public-sector needs, industrial innovation, and societal challenges. 

Overall, the webinar concluded that the planned reforms represent a “unique opportunity” to modernise EU procurement rules — helping to make public spending more strategic, sustainable and supportive of European industry competitiveness.