Georg Zellhofer and Christian Gruber, both partners at Schramm Öhler, comment on the Austrian Market in regard to public procurement.

What do you see as the main points that differentiate [Schramm Öhler] from your competitors?

Schramm Öhler has been the market leader and pioneer in public procurement for more than 25 years.

With over 45 lawyers and associates, we are also the largest procurement law firm in Austria. Due to the vast amount of procurements implemented over the last 25 years, covering every possible sector (eg IT, health, facility management, transport, construction, creative and communication services etc.), there is almost no project that we haven’t done yet in a similar way. This sector specific experience differentiates us from our competitors.

Procurement projects are about risk management. Apart from drafting high quality tender documents, our experience enables us to help our clients making good, well informed decisions.

Our head quarter is in Vienna and we run branch offices in Eisenstadt, Feldkirch, Linz an St. Pölten. We cover the full range of public procurement, particularly on the side of contracting authorities.

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

Sustainability is and will stay very present in the public procurement sector and tendering procedures.

It is part of our daily business to consider sustainability in different aspects to ensure “green” public procurement projects.

Public procurement law reflects political developments, thus sustainability and climate friendly and also social aspects play a big part in the tendering proceedings we counsel on and implement for our clients.

Corona has influenced our work in the last year. Currently the big issues are inflation and the economic situation reflecting in public procurement projects (e.g. higher costs / prices, delay in delivery etc.).

What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients?

Our law firm has grown in the last years. Due to the increased demand from our clients, we doubled the count of partners in 2020 to ensure the quality of our services. We also spread out to the regions in the federal states of Austria. We opened three more branch offices in Eisenstadt, Feldkirch and Linz to our existing head quarter in Vienna and well established branch office in St. Pölten. This enables us being closer to our clients outside Vienna.

We can proudly say that this strategy worked well for our clients and us.

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Since Corona our work has changed dramatically, digitalization has progressed, video calls have become a common practice. However, for kick-off meetings, brainstorming and important decisions, face-to-face meetings are indispensable, especially given the fact that many of our projects are in the spotlight of the media.

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

Due to our specialization within public procurement we can help clients and guide them through very complex projects which are often difficult to implement. Public procurement law sometimes can be a hurdle for contracting authorities as many aspects have to be considered. We know public procurement law inside out, we think ahead, we address issues in advance and we find creative solutions for our clients.

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Clients appreciate stable contacts and expect strategic suggestions from their lawyers.

We plan to further expand our branch offices in the federal states of Austria. We will strengthen our services with existing clients and also gain new clients.

Schramm Öhler stands for experience, expertise, stability, continuity and security - we work hard and with passion to make sure our clients notice this and are satisfied with our services.