Public Procurement Is Not Immune To COVID-19

The coronavirus has also infected public procurement, creating new challenges for companies and public purchasers. At least in the short term, exemptions have become the rule, procurement procedures have gone almost completely electronic, and new contracts have had to be "COVID-secured". Some of these measures have an expiry date, others will probably remain.

High season for special procedures

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. This also applies to public procurement law, especially if unforeseeable events trigger an urgent procurement need. The coronavirus pandemic is considered an unforeseeable event. As outlined by the European Commission and several Member States, the need for hospitals and other health institutions to provide treatment, personal protective equipment, ventilators, additional beds, and additional intensive care and hospital infrastructure could not be foreseen and planned, so exceptional and special procurement procedures are