In October 2017, the European Commission adopted a 'recommendation on the professionalisation of public procurement' to encourage EU countries to take steps to increase the professionalism of contracting authorities. The recommendation is part of the public procurement package which sets out priorities for EU procurement policy. Professionalisation policies at national level are essential to ensure buyers have the needed skills, knowledge and integrity. They need to address training and career management of public procurement practitioners, and to provide tools to make the procurement process more efficient (e.g. e-procurement tools, guidelines, templates).

The recommendation will be complemented with a European competence framework for public procurement.

Sharing experience will enable EU countries to improve their procurement practice and will increase the impact and reputation of procurement in delivering public policy objectives. To achieve this, the recommendation is accompanied by a library of 90 examples of good practices and tools intended to be a dynamic collection to which EU countries and contracting authorities can contribute.

Building an architecture for the professionalisation of public procurement: Library of good pra [...] and tools

ProcurCompEU is a tool designed by the Commission to support the professionalisation of public procurement. It recognizes and supports public procurement as a strategic function that delivers public investment for sustainable growth. ProcurCompEU defines 30 key competences in a ‘competency matrix’ to provide a common reference for public procurement professionals in the EU and beyond. ProcurCompEU also contains a self-assessment tool and a generic training curriculum.

ProcurCompEU – the European competency framework for public procurement professionals