EU Public Procurement

Public procurement is a professional topic and agenda that is undoubtedly interdisciplinary. Efficient, effective, transparent and professional public procurement is crucial to strengthen the single market and stimulate investment across the European Union. At the same time, it is a key tool for ensuring the benefits of EU Cohesion policy for European citizens and businesses. The aim of public procurement is, in particular, the efficient management of public funds, as considerable financial resources are spent every year on the operation of individual offices and public organizations, which are connected to state or other public budgets. It is therefore essential to prevent their unnecessary and excessive depletion and possible misuse.

Public authorities should strategically make the best use of public procurement to support innovation. Sustainable, social and environmental elements in public procurement are increasingly coming to the fore. In this way, it is possible to support the creation and application of innovations in the public sector and at the same time stimulate supply from the private sector.

In the years 2018 – 2021, the Faculty of Economics TUKE implemented a project within the Erasmus + program, thanks to which the topic of public procurement in the European Union was incorporated into study programs.

The project EU Public Procurement – Jean Monnet Module 600477-EPP-1-2018-1-EN-EPPJMO-MODULE included educational and research activities. The main goal of the project was to create and introduce a new course EU Public Procurement in the offer of courses for students of the Faculty of Economics TUKE, whose studies are focused on issues of public finance, public administration and public economy.

The module also supported the education of practitioners working mainly in public administration, who encounter the topic of public procurement and practical aspects of awarding public contracts within their work agenda. The educational activities also included the EU Public Procurement course for foreign students from EU partner countries, who had the opportunity to learn basic information about public procurement in the EU, harmonization and transposition of public procurement law, as well as current modern concepts applied in public procurement.