Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. End-to-end e-procurement to modernise public administration

This Communication identifies the state of implementation of “end-to-end e-procurement” (from the electronic publication of notices to electronic payment) in the EU, as foreseen by the 2012 Communication “A strategy for e-procurement”. It sets out actions which should be taken by the EU and by Member States to achieve the transition towards end-to-end e-procurement.

The management of public procurement is of primary policy importance in the current context of fiscal consolidation. As public expenditure on goods, works and services represents 19% of the EU’s GDP, managing it more efficiently can significantly contribute to improving the overall efficiency of public expenditure. The current crisis provides an opportunity for Member States to further engage in implementing structural changes in their administration, with the aim of reducing the share of public expenditure in their GDP while leveraging saved resources to invest in growth-enhancing policies. The World Bank estimates that e-procurement can trigger savings of 6 to 13.5% of the total public procurement expenditure.

An effective public administration is a key element of the competitiveness of the EU economy. The modernisation of public administration was identified as one of the five priorities of the Commission’s Annual Growth Survey in 2012 and in 2013. Reform of public procurement, digitisation of public administration, reduction of administrative burden, and increased transparency are all growth enablers.

The transition to end-to-end e-procurement can generate significant savings, facilitate structural re-thinking of certain areas of public administration, and constitutes a growth enabler by opening up the Internal Market and by fostering innovation and simplification. It can also facilitate SME participation in public procurement by reducing administrative burden, by increasing transparency over business opportunities, and by lowering participation costs.

End-to-end e-procurement is not about implementing an IT project which would just replicate paper-based processes; it is an opportunity to fundamentally re-think the way public administration is organised. End-to-end e-procurement is therefore a key enabler of the above priorities, and can contribute to the sustainable growth objectives of the EU 2020 Strategy.

See also:
- Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on electronic invoicing in public procurement

ESO: Background information: E-invoicing in public procurement: another step towards end-to-end e-procurement and e-government in Europe http://www.europeansources.info/record/e-invoicing-in-public-procurement-another-step-towards-end-to-end-e-procurement-and-e-government-in-europe/

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