Annex: Committee's visit to Brussels
Programme for visit
Wednesday 30 January 2013
| UKREP Ambassador's Residence
| Briefing with Jon Cunliffe, Permanent Representative to the European Union, UKREP and Martin Jones, Counsellor, UKREP
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Thursday 31 January
| UKREP Building
Avenue d'Auderghem 10
1040 Brussels
| Mr Constantijn van Oranje, Deputy Head of Neelie Kroes Cabinet, and Mr Jean-Francois Junger, Deputy Head of Unit for Public Services in the Directorate for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DGCNET)
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| UKREP Building
Avenue d'Auderghem 10
1040 Brussels
| Mr Jonathan Faull, Director General for Internal Market and Services Directorate General (DG MARKT), and Ms Joanna Szychowska, Head of Public Procurement Unit in DG MARKT
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| European Parliament
Rue Wierzt
1000 Brussels
| Andreas Schwab, MEP for Baden-Wrttemberg and member of the Internal Markets and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO)
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| European Parliament
Rue Wierzt
1000 Brussels
| Working lunch hosted by Dennis de Jong, MEP for the Netherlands and member of the Internal Markets and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO), and staff
|
| European Parliament
Rue Wierzt
1000 Brussels
| Martin Callanan, MEP for North East England
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| UKREP Building
Avenue d'Auderghem 10
1040 Brussels
| Mrs Elisabetta Zanon, Director of the NHS European Office
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| UKREP Building
Avenue d'Auderghem 10
1040 Brussels
| Anna Constable, Adviser, Internal Market Department Business Europe
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Summary of findings
- Problems that individuals and
organisations raised in relation to procurement included the complexity
of the rules; burdensome processes; a lack of clarity around processes;
and a tendency to be risk averse in carrying out procurements.
- There were a number of actions suggested that
could help to improve procurements. These included avoiding the
need to re-compete should a procurement need to be run a second
time; the use of e-auctions; and increased informal discussion
and market consultation.
- Whilst many would have liked to see EU procurement
thresholds raised, it was accepted that these thresholds were
hard to change. There was also some opinion that raising the thresholds
could preclude small businesses from competing for contracts across
borders.
- E-procurement is an important focus for the European
Commission. The target of 100% e-procurement by 2016 is a stretching
one.
- The UK wins 17% of foreign contracts which are
let across the EU, the second most successful EU state (Germany
wins 26%). By some measures, some other EU countries are more
successful at "buying local". For example, 3% of UK
contracts (by value) go to companies from other EU states, compared
to only 1.5% in France.
- The majority of smaller contracts tend not to
be traded cross-border. Concern was raised as to whether procuring
authorities could break contracts into small pieces, in order
to award to contracts to national companies.
- There was a perception that
the UK tends to act in a more risk averse way in order to minimise
non-compliance. It appears to be a two stage issue; the first
when enshrining EU rules into national legislation and the second
when procurers are risk averse in their application of the rules.
- The new provisions under the Social Values Act
2012 present a number of opportunities to take into consideration
a range of factors in procurements, to look at the whole life
cycle of a contract, goods or service. Some however are concerned
that the Act will result in protectionist tendencies and a reduction
in cross border trade.
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