Consultation on Remedies in Public Procurement

This consultation aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the provisions of Directive 2007/66/EC on remedies in the field of public procurement.

There are two Directives laying down remedies in relation to public procurement:

• Directive 89/665/EEC, which covers the public sector;.
• Directive 92/13/EEC, which covers the utilities sector. .

Both Directives were thoroughly amended by Directive 2007/66/EC.

The Remedies Directives require, as regards contracts falling within the scope of the Directives laying down substantive rules on public procurement (Directive 2004/17/EC and Directive 2004/18/EC, which are being replaced by Directive 2014/23/EU, Directive 2014/24/EU and Directive 2014/25/EU), that decisions taken by contracting authorities or contracting entities may be reviewed effectively and, in particular, as quickly as possible, on the grounds that such decisions have infringed EU public procurement law.

Member States must ensure that the review procedures are available at least to any person having, or having had, an interest in obtaining a particular contract and who has been, or risks being, harmed by an alleged infringement.

The Remedies Directives allow actions to be brought both before the contract is signed (pre-contractual remedies) and after (post-contractual remedies). Pre-contractual remedies are intended to correct the infringement of the public procurement rules in the course of the tendering procedure and in any event, before the contract becomes effective. These include the right of interim measures, a compulsory standstill period and the requirement to suspend the award procedure whilst the appeal is being investigated to prevent the award of the contract. On the other hand, post-contractual remedies aim to declare an existing contract ineffective and/or to provide compensation (mainly damages) to the affected parties after the contract in question has been awarded.

Directive 2007/66/EC obliges the Commission to report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the effectiveness of the Remedies Directives, in particular of the alternative penalties and time limits.

Furthermore, the Commission singled out Directive 2007/66/EC to undergo an evaluation under REFIT (Regulatory Fitness and Performance programme) in 2015. The objective of this evaluation is to assess the functioning of the provisions introduced by Directive 2007/66/EC.

This public consultation should be understood in the context of the above-mentioned report to the Parliament and the Council and evaluation under REFIT.

Objective of the consultation:

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the provisions of Directive 2007/66/EC on remedies in the field of public procurement

Target group(s): This consultation is open to any group but contributions are sought particularly from contracting authorities/contracting entities, review bodies, economic operators and lawyers. 

Period of Consultation:

From 24 April 2015 to 20 July 2015. 

How to submit your contribution:

Please note that in order to ensure a fair and transparent consultation process only responses received through the online questionnaire (EUSurvey) will be taken into account and included in the report summarising the responses.

Received contributions will be published on the Internet. It is important to read the specific privacy statement attached to this consultation for information on how your personal data and contribution will be dealt with.

View the contributions:

In the interests of transparency, organisations have been invited to provide the public with relevant information about themselves by registering in the Transparency Register and subscribing to its Code of Conduct. If the organisation is not registered, the submission is published separately from the registered organisations.

Protection of personal data

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