On 10 December 2012, the EU Council reached an agreement on a
general approach to the European Commission's proposals to
reform the public procurement rules. This agreement will form the
basis for discussions with the European Parliament. In the coming
months, two new public procurement directives are expected to be
adopted, for the purpose of simplifying and rendering more flexible
the applicable rules in order to improve value for money. Some of
the key changes are outlined below.
Following the Single Market Act of October 2010 and a
consultation launched in January 2011, the Commission issued, on 20
December 2011, proposals for two new public procurement directives,
one1 to replace the Public Sector Directive (Directive
2004/18/EC) and one2 to replace the Utilities Directive
(Directive 2004/17/EC). The new directives are intended to provide
for greater flexibility in and to simplify the applicable
procedures, negotiations and time limits.3
