On 9 September 2026, the European Commission published its proposal for a reform of European public procurement law. The three public procurement directives currently in force are to be consolidated in future into a single regulation that will apply directly in the Member States.

From the perspective of the planning professions, the draft contains a number of interesting approaches: for instance, the best value for money is to be reinforced as the guiding principle of public procurement. Also of particular relevance is the proposed option for Member States to require contracting authorities to divide contracts into lots. This national discretion was not yet included in a draft version leaked in July this year and had been called for by the Federal Chamber of Architects in its representations to the European Commission.

However, in an initial analysis, the Federal Chamber of Architects sees a need for further improvement, particularly with regard to design competitions and the remuneration of design services. With the publication of the Commission’s proposal, the European legislative process is now underway, in which the bdla is closely involved via the BAK Liaison Office.

You can find the European Commission’s draft here... 

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