The Competition Working Group held an online meeting on 1 July 2026, chaired on an interim basis by Doris Grabner, a member of the bdla Executive Committee. The meeting focused on current developments in competition and public procurement law, as well as the future professional direction of the working group.
A key topic was the formulation of the association’s position on competition and procurement. An initial draft is to be drawn up in the near future. In this context, members discussed current initiatives and event formats aimed at strengthening the competition system, including the leaflet ‘Planning Competitions in a Nutshell’, developed by the ‘Procurement and Competitions’ sub-working group of the Federal Chamber of Architects, as well as a BDA workshop on planning competitions, procurement and IPA procedures.
Further discussion centred on the eligibility criteria for design competitions. Based on feedback from the Young Landscape Architects Working Group, the focus was on eligibility and participation requirements, which can pose a particular challenge for new and small design practices. Among other things, the role of open and two-stage competitions was discussed, as were possibilities for further developing existing procedures. A working paper is to be produced to explore the topic in greater depth.
In addition, the Working Group addressed current developments in public procurement law. In consultation with the Economics Working Group, the focus of the respective key topics was further refined, and the implications of the Public Procurement Acceleration Act, which came into force on 1 July 2026, were discussed. In particular, the continued provision for the award of contracts in lots was highlighted as a key component of a procurement practice favourable to small and medium-sized enterprises. Finally, the regional groups reported on current developments regarding open competitions and initial experiences with the Bavarian Chamber of Architects’ ‘tender traffic light’ system, which is already established in several federal states.
Source: bdla association journal “landschaftsarchitekt:innen” 2/2026
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