| Centre for Public Procurement |
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UUCePP Newsletter Summer Issue 2025 |
| Tip: Read this newsletter on your computer or online for the best view. |
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| UUCePP Contributions to Practice |
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Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Manunza Delivers Keynote at the Pre-NATO-Summit Event |
Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Manunza was invited to deliver the keynote address on "Legal Innovation" at the pre-NATO-summit event "Securing the Future: Innovation for Resilience" that was held at The Hague on 23 June. The event was organised by the NATO and the Municipality of The Hague. Other distinguished speakers included a.o. Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau; State Secretary Gijs Tuinman; Jean Charles Ellermann-Kingombe, Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid, and Cyber; John Ridge, Chief Adoption Officer of the NATO Innovation Fund; and Jyoti Hirani-Driver, Chief Operating Officer of NATO Home. |
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EU Commission Informed on the Coherence of EU Public Procurement Law |
Prof. Dr. Willem Janssen presented his ongoing work for the EU Commission on 5 May in light of the coherence of EU public procurement law and discussed the findings of his forthcoming report with the 27 Member States represented in the Expert Committee for Public Procurement (EXPP). He concludes that the framework has become fragmented and provides recommendations to make it future-proof. |
Presentation by Dr. Titl at the OECD workshop on Risk-Based Approaches to Verifying Asset and Interest Declarations |
On 5 June, Dr. Titl gave a presentation titled 'Research insights on the use of machine learning for detection of conflicts of interest'. The main focus of the presentation was to showcase how AI can be used to find conflicts of interests based on his academic paper 'Identifying Politically Connected Firms: A Machine Learning Approach' published in the Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics. |
Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Manunza gives Keynote on "European Patriotism" at Flemish Government Congress in Brussels |
On 3 April, Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Manunza delivered the keynote address, titled “European Patriotism,” in Brussels during the congress organised by the Flemish Government “Inspiration Day”.“The Russian invasion of Ukraine, signifies the beginning of a new chapter for Europe—one in which we have become more aware of what unites us and what must be protected. European public procurement plays a crucial role in this context—from defence-related contracts to intra-European trade that fosters prosperity, contrasting trade barriers, which diminishes well-being.” |
Nearly One Billion Euros in Savings Possible Through Smarter Procurement |
The Dutch government could save up to one billion euros annually through smarter public procurement. Two studies by Dr. Vítězslav Titl and Prof. Dr. Ir. Fredo Schotanus show that opting a little bit more for the lowest price in simple tenders (€255–510 million) and improving access to procurement data (€140–465 million) may offer significant benefits. The studies were conducted for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Rijksinkoopsamenwerking. |
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Panel Debate: The Merits and Pitfalls of Serial Tendering |
The call from the market to make greater use of serial tendering is growing louder. Yet in practice, this procurement method still struggles to gain real traction. At the Dag van de Infra (Infrastructure Day), Prof. Dr. Ir. Fredo Schotanus joined a panel to discuss this topic. “There is so much work ahead of us. We simply have to start working more efficiently. On top of that, we’re facing a major sustainability challenge, so we can’t keep doing things the way we always have.” |
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Evaluation of C2000 presented by the Minister of Justice to the House of Representatives |
| On 14 May, the Minister of Justice presented the study of the Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek- en Datacentrum (WODC) on the programme -Implementatie Vernieuwing C2000 (IVC) to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament. The evaluation provides insight into the goals, approach, governance, achievement of goals and effectiveness of the IVC programme and, in particular, its procurement. From UUCePP, Dr. Nathan Meershoek collaborated and wrote the chapter on the procurement choices made. |
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Niels Wittenberg gave an information session on safe procurement at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. |
In a two-hour session on safe procurement, Wittenberg informed approximately 35 senior buyers from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management about the risks that public procurement can pose to national security. During the presentation, the possibilities of the Dutch Public Procurement Act on Defence and Security were outlined. In addition, Wittenberg shared the results of his research on the opportunities that exclusion grounds provide to safeguard national security. |
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Simplifying Public Procurement 'Below Thresholds' |
At the annual PIANOo conference, Prof. Dr. Ir. Fredo Schotanus addressed a topic that resonates with many procurement professionals: how can we simplify procurement? His key message: below the EU thresholds, buyers too often follow procedures as if they were conducting a full European tender. The solution lies in redesigning the procedure with the actual objective at the centre. This includes using simpler documents, more flexible award models, and more space for dialogue. In short: don’t let the process or a template set the tone. |
Lecture on Public Procurement, Democracy, and the Rule of Law for International Matra Programme in The Hague |
| On 19 March, Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Manunza gave a lecture in The Hague on the role of public procurement in strengthening democracy and the rule of law for an audience of senior officials from Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Montenegro, and Albania. The session was part of the Matra Rule of Law Training Programme – Public Procurement, an initiative organised in collaboration with the Helsinki Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Leiden University. |
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Keynote “Legal Innovations” at the conference on Innovation and Public Procurement organised by the Ministry of Defence |
On 19 May, Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Manunza delivered a keynote address at the Ministry of Defence symposium Innovation-Oriented Procurement. The event brought together over 200 participants from the Ministry of Defence and the private sector. Professor Manunza stressed the importance of a dynamic approach to public procurement law—one that views legal frameworks not as obstacles, but as instruments for innovation and collaboration. She emphasises the importance of using public procurement law as a driver of innovation, guided by principles such as proportionality and (constitutional) effectiveness. |
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| | Talk by Dr. Titl at the Work Bank Seminar on Green Public Procurement |
| Dr. Vitezslav Titl presented a working paper 'The Greener, the Better? Evidence from Government Contractors' at a seminar hosted by The World Bank. The paper is the first causal evidence on the effects of green contracts on corporate GHG emissions and economic performance showing that green contracts reduce emissions relative to firm size and they increase productivity. This World Bank blog post draws on the findings from this paper. |
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Six Suggestions for Better EU Procurement Rules |
| The EU review of the public procurement directives is in full swing. Prof. Dr. Ir. Fredo Schotanus contributed a position advocating less legalism and more strategic thinking. His key points: refocus the directives on policy objectives, allow more room for dialogue and less rigid tender procedures, encourage longer contracts, recalculate threshold values, and give more attention to supplier characteristics. |
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Government policy on student sports incoherent and inconsistent |
In an interview with de Volkskrant, Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Manunza commented on Minister Bruins' plans to cut back on affordable student sports and cultural activities. She stated: "It is striking that the Dutch government excludes ‘typically commercial services’ such as security and catering from competition and organises them in-house, as if they are of general interest. Meanwhile, student sports—considered under European law a service related to education—are labelled as commercial. Government policy should be coherent and consistent." |
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UUCePP sets up new Legal Advisory Line |
UUCePP has established a new advisory line for amicus curiae and other legal advice. Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Manunza, Dr. Nathan Meershoek and Dr. Sebastian Meyer give advice on the full range of European and Dutch public procurement law. Recent pieces of advice concern, for instance, the purchase of face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic and the outsourcing of the reception of asylum seekers. UUCePP advice is unique for its “constitutional” approach. This means that the Dutch public procurement law and the EU directives are studied in relation to the European and national legal system and its underlying values, principles and purposes. From this angle, public procurement law is an instrument for realising major transitions within the democratic state under the rule of law. This approach regularly leads to innovative legal solutions that otherwise remain out of sight. By making its scientific expertise available to public and private actors, UUCePP contributes to awareness-raising and the solution of societal challenges. In case you need legal advice, you are invited to contact Dr. Sebastian Meyer (s.meyer@uu.nl). |
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| | | On 23 May, Dr. Tom Huisjes defended his dissertation, Towards an inclusive procurement policy within the social market economy. By adapting legislation and procurement practices, governments can use public spending as a powerful tool for positive social change. A practical case study of the municipality of Amsterdam reveals the opportunities and challenges. |
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| | PhD Defence: Ruben Nicolas |
| On 26 May, Dr. Ruben Nicolas defended his PhD thesis titled Sustainable Public Procurement: A Multidisciplinary Analysis. With his PhD thesis, Dr. Nicolas aims to shed more light on the factors that motivate sustainable procurement behaviour and explain why certain modes of procurement and contractual forms are more effective than others. |
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First Kluwer Handbook ‘Screening. Organisation and forms of screening in the Netherlands’ in the series Kluwer Handbooks Security |
The first Dutch handbook on ‘Screening. Organisation and forms of screening in the Netherlands’, co-edited by Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Manunza, was presented on 14 April. The handbook provides insight into the latest developments, critical reflection, concrete tools, the balance between security and ethics, and future outlooks. Prof. Manunza and Dr. Nathan Meershoek contributed a chapter on 'Screening in public procurement. On the protection of public interests and the limits of public procurement law'. Their research shows that screening in Public Procurement is an ill-studied topic in legal science, either in the Netherlands and abroad. The publication lays the groundwork for further research. |
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Why Do Tenders Peak Right Before Christmas? |
Research by TenderNed and UUCePP shows that most public tenders in the Netherlands are published just before Christmas, despite shorter submission deadlines and fewer bids. This “Christmas peak” appears disadvantageous for suppliers. Prof. Dr. Ir. Fredo Schotanus proposes either publishing later or extending deadlines. In light of budget cuts and declining competition, making tenders more attractive is now particularly important. |
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Shared Savings Contracts in Community Nursing Yield Little Benefit |
A new publication by Drs. Olivier van Noort and Prof. Dr. Ir. Fredo Schotanus in the Journal of Public Procurement shows that shared savings contracts with one-sided risk in Dutch home care do not lead to cost savings. The study finds that incentives are too weak and that the hierarchical distance between management and execution hinders effectiveness. Alternative strategies or stronger incentives appear to be needed. |
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Publication of Inaugural lecture ‘Sustainable Public Procurement Law’ |
| Prof. Dr. Willem Janssen published his inaugural lecture on ‘Sustainable Public Procurement Law: Reassessing the internal market for public procurement’ at Groningen University Press (OA). He challenges the dominant position that non-discrimination and equality should trump sustainability. Instead, he makes the case for sustainability first as a priority. |
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Equality Qualities in Public Procurement Law |
Elior Korem's paper 'Equality Qualities in Public Procurement Law,' has been published in issue 3, 2025, of the Public Procurement Law Review. The paper clarifies the various manifestations of equality in public procurement, offering a framework for understanding its normative force and its interaction with other public procurement principles. |
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The Participation of Foreign Bidders in EU Public Procurement: Too Much or Too Little? |
| Foreign participation in EU tenders remains relatively modest. In recent years, only 7% of EU procurement authorities received foreign bids. "The data shows that foreign firms do not face systematic barriers when bidding. Rather, the issue lies in the fact that too few foreign bidders participate in tenders. ‘You cannot win if you do not compete’," said Lucian Cernat, author of the policy brief. The report also reveals the significant negative impact of Brexit on UK firms’ access to EU public procurement. |
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Article in the Journal 'Aanbestedingsrecht en Staatssteun' on the Kolin Arrest |
On 22 October 2024, the Court of Justice of the EU ruled that tenderers from third countries with which the European Union has not concluded any trade agreements cannot benefit from provisions of the EU procurement directives. In an article in Tijdschrift Aanbestedingsrecht en Staatssteun (2025/1), Dr. Nathan Meershoek discusses the significance of this judgment for the development of procurement law and its implications for contracting authorities. |
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| UUCePP Contributions to Academic Events |
| | Lessons from Procurement Education at the IPSERA Conference |
| At the IPSERA conference in Rotterdam, Prof. Dr. Ir. Fredo Schotanus gave a keynote on teaching procurement in a rapidly changing world. Key takeaways: many classic theories remain relevant, current topics (such as defence or varying sustainable procurement figures across countries) could be discussed in class, and playfully integrating AI can stimulate reflection on its relevance and application. |
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The Future of Public Procurement Law – Conference Copenhagen University |
| On 25-26 March, Prof. Dr. Willem Janssen presented and debated the future of the Public Procurement Directives by presenting his work on the balance between pursuing non-discrimination in the internal market and putting sustainability first. The conference was held at Copenhagen University and set the scene for a broad discussion on the current EU Reform. |
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Sustainable Intermediation in Public Procurement |
| On 12 June, Elior Korem presented a joint paper with Prof. David Levi-Faur, at the The Biennial Conference of the Standing Group on Regulatory Governance (11–13 June 2025, Hertie School, Berlin). The paper analyses regulatory intermediation models and their effect on sustainable public procurement. The paper extends the regulator-intermediary-target (R-I-T) model into strategic public procurement. By revealing the nature and interconnections of, and between, various actors in each regime, the paper tries to capture how different R-I-T models can support or hinder the success of a strategic public procurement policy, such as sustainable procurement. |
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UUCePP research on effective market engagement strategies for innovation presented to UK policymakers and academics |
Using a survey of +1600 European public buyers, UUCePP member Pelle Berkhout (Copernicus Institute) found that dynamic market engagement formats (meetings, workshops) positively affect learning and innovation in procurement, while static formats (questionnaires) sometimes even have negative effects. Pelle was asked to present his work at the UK Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre (IPEC) Research Symposium, hosted by the University of Manchester on 4 June . A range of UK local and national policymakers and academics attended the Symposium. |
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Public procurement track at innovation policy conference hosted by UUCePP researchers |
UUCePP researchers Dr. Anne Rainville and Pelle Berkhout (Copernicus Institute) organised a track on innovation procurement during the European Forum for Studies of Policies for Research and Innovation (EU-SPRI), a leading innovation policy conference in Europe. The track hosted a range of presentations from prominent public procurement researchers across Europe, focusing on the “Effectiveness and limitations of public procurement in achieving intersecting policy goals of a changing Europe”. The conference took place from 11 to 13 June in Dortmund. |
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| UUCePP Education and Engagement |
Biannual UUCePP PhD Forum 2025 |
| The event featured presentations from 12 PhD students specializing in Public Procurement, representing a diverse array of researchers from different countries and 10 different institutions. An expert panel shared invaluable insights and supported the next generation of public procurement researchers. The forum offered insights from various perspectives and highlighted several directions for the future of public procurement. The day was concluded with the traditional PhD Dinner. |
| | Procurement Professionals Successfully Completed the Course 'Executive Course on Public Procurement' with Excellent Results |
| In April, 26 professionals successfully passed the take-home exam to get the certificate for the Executive Course on Public Procurement. To mark the occasion of the certificate ceremony, Ron Nulkes—Director of the General Security Requirements for Government Contracts (ABRO) programme—addressed the attendees with a talk on ‘National Security and Public Procurement'. As of this autumn, the topic of screening will be included in the curriculum. Registration for the course is open via the button below. |
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| | Students publish blog written during their studies in Deal! |
| For the course Public Procurement, students write a blog as a final assignment. One of the blogs proved so interesting that it was published in the professional journal Deal!. The blog discusses how international sanctions can unintentionally disrupt access to essential medical products in sanctioned countries, with significant consequences for ordinary citizens. |
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Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Manunza Receives New Funding from the Ministry of Defence |
On 26 February, Prof. Dr. Manunza served as an observer for the Ministry of Defence during a meeting which brought together over 300 representatives from the Defence industry, at the military base in Oirschot, concerning drone production and scaling up operations. She collaborates closely with the Ministry of Defence and academics within the Science for Policy programme set up by the Ministry of Defence, which focuses on scaling up efforts during wartime. In addition, she is supervising a study conducted by Rand International for the Ministry of Defence on the war economy. Furthermore, she has received funding for one and a half years to conduct research into initiatives related to the war economy, scaling up, innovative production, and the procurement of military equipment. This research is being carried out in close collaboration with Dr. Meershoek and Dr. Meyer. |
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Youri den Besten and Andrea Longobucco join as PhD Candidates |
Youri den Besten started as a PhD candidate at the Department of IER in the beginning of March. His research focuses on EU strategic autonomy and the European defence industry, with particular attention to the effectiveness of collaborative procurement as a key instrument in this context.
Andrea Longobucco started as a PhD candidate in the Applied Economics section at the Utrecht University School of Economics (USE) in October. His research is centred on developing machine-learning and AI tools to detect corrupt practices, particularly those embedded in public procurement and financial crime, by analysing patterns of ownership, director relationships, and network structures rather than direct financial transactions. |
Once every four to six weeks, the IOS Platform The Transactional State organises a Transactional Talk together with UUCePP. Each talk delves deeply into a pressing societal issue related to public procurement. Over the past months, these experts shared their findings in a talk: |
- 3 April - Dr. Bastian Krieger: Can Public Procurement Hinder Innovation? - 12 May - Ron Nulkes: Protecting National Security by Innovative Screening Instruments - the case of the Dutch ABRO. - 17 June - Dr. Joras Ferwerda and Andrea Longobucco: Can AI Tools Detect Corruption in Public Procurement? Analysing Europe's Public Procurement Data Ecosystem for AI Tools. |
| Would you like to organise a Transactional Talk? Please contact us! |
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