A smarter single market: why transparency and data must drive EU procurement reform

To stay competitive, Europe must be bolder and faster. There’s a lot of talk about digital transformation, including in my area of expertise, public procurement. It covers one in every three euros spent by our governments across Europe. And too much of that procurement is still done on paper. It’s not good enough to put slow, outdated processes designed for the paper-based era into an electronic format, keeping workflows analog and to hope for the best. The once-in-a-generation review of the Public Procurement Directive is a chance to catch up to the latest in innovative, smart, analytics-driven procurement. Here’s what we should do. 

Move from analogue compliance to digital governance

Most EU procurement systems still rely on rigid, document-centric reporting, treating procurement information as static paperwork rather than reusable digital data. This creates duplication, administrative burden, and fragmented practices across Member States. It limits benchmarking, planning, and cross-border participation, particularly for SMEs. The issue is not a lack of ambition in EU procurement law, which already embeds transparency and competition, but weak implementation: information is inconsistently published, insufficiently standardized, and not reusable at scale, leaving significant economic and governance value untapped.

Simplification should not mean a loss of transparency or data 

Simplification, a primary objective of the reform, and transparency are not trade-offs. They are natural complements. Rather than creating new obligations, we strongly advocate for a focused set of data-driven reforms to improve how existing rules work. Four mutually reinforcing actions would fundamentally improve how procurement functions across the EU.

1. The EU should establish minimum, EU-wide data standards for national procurement publication, extending the use of eForms (or simplified equivalents) to below-threshold procurement. Without common standards, procurement data cannot be meaningfully compared, aggregated, or reused across borders. Data quality and interoperability are not technical luxuries; they are preconditions for a functioning single market.
2. All public contracts above a relatively low threshold, for example €30,000, should be mandatorily published on national digital portals. Today, EU-level visibility largely covers only around 20% of procurement spending, while roughly 80% of procurement activity by volume remains fragmented and largely invisible. This is the single largest transparency and competition gap in EU procurement, and it urgently needs to be closed.
3. Procurement data must be openly accessible in machine-readable formats, including through bulk downloads and APIs. Transparency that cannot be analyzed is transparency in name only. Open access enables oversight, market intelligence, innovation, and effective participation by SMEs and cross-border suppliers.
4. Digitization is the means to implement existing principles: The tell-us-once principle, unrestricted access to procurement documents, and the evolution of eForms into the backbone of EU procurement data infrastructure should become standard practice, not optional aspirations.

These four measures will fundamentally improve information quality, making markets more efficient, simplifying procedures, rebuilding public trust, and boosting business confidence.

Better information leads to better outcome and a more resilient supply chain 

Public procurement is increasingly expected to deliver on strategic objectives: sustainability, social inclusion, innovation, resilience, and, potentially, “Buy European” approaches. These ambitions cannot be credibly implemented or evaluated without robust data. Digitalization is therefore not optional; it is a prerequisite for strategic procurement.

Transparent procurement pipelines and early visibility of demand are among the strongest enablers of SME participation. When small businesses win public contracts, the benefits are felt directly in local communities, strengthening trust in institutions and reinforcing democratic legitimacy.

Efficiency needs measurement (which needs data) 

High-quality, structured procurement data is essential for efficiency. It allows contracting authorities to plan better, benchmark prices, forecast demand, and monitor supplier and contract performance over time. Without this foundation, efficiency gains remain isolated rather than systemic.

The evidence is clear. Research consistently shows that access to structured and comprehensive procurement information is associated with higher bidder participation and lower prices, particularly in previously opaque markets. Yet current EU systems limit competition by design. Fragmentation reduces competitive pressure, increases transaction costs, and weakens value for money.

Mandatory publication of all contracts above a low threshold, using structured formats, would significantly improve efficiency and value for money. The upfront investment would pay back dividends through boosting workforce data and digital skills, more competition, lower prices, more resilient and secure supply chains, and lower risk of waste, fraud and abuse. In a world where competition for the best suppliers, technology, data and resources is on the rise, Europe can’t afford to be left behind. Real-time analytics and high-quality data are the foundation of an increasingly automated and intelligent future.

‘Real’ simplification requires digitalization

Simplification is rightly a core objective of the current reform debate. But simplification cannot be achieved through legal streamlining alone if procurement continues to rely on fragmented, manual, and document-heavy workflows. True simplification requires a shift from document handling to data management.

A genuine “once-only” principle is central to this shift. Suppliers are repeatedly asked to submit information that already exists in national or EU databases, creating an unnecessary burden, especially for SMEs. Strengthening tools such as eCertis and the European Single Procurement Document, improving interoperability with national registers, and addressing language barriers would significantly reduce participation costs.

Simplification also depends on consistent access to procurement documents. Although EU law already requires unrestricted, direct, and free online access, implementation remains uneven. Clearer enforcement, removal of login barriers, defined minimum availability periods, and consistent guidance would make procedures easier to understand, compare, and reuse, benefiting both buyers and suppliers.

Transparency is the foundation for trust and analyzing strategy

Transparency and digitalization are often framed narrowly as compliance or anti-corruption tools. In reality, they are foundational to efficient, fair, and strategic procurement. EU initiatives such as eForms and the Public Procurement Data Space show what is possible, but their impact remains limited because most procurement, especially below-threshold contracts, is not systematically published or standardized.

Only around 60% of Member States publish any sub-threshold procurement data as open data, and much of it is not machine-readable. These blind spots encourage direct awards, contract splitting, and market capture.

By requiring procurement data to be published openly and in standardized digital formats, the EU would close a major transparency gap while empowering SMEs. With access to bulk datasets, small businesses could identify relevant buyers, typical contract sizes, prevailing prices, and evaluation criteria, insights that are currently costly or inaccessible. Journalists, auditors, and civil society would also be better equipped to monitor spending and identify risks.

Transparency, in this sense, is the quid pro quo for flexibility. When procurement is visible and data-driven, flexibility can be used responsibly, competition can be monitored, and distortions can be detected early.

At a time when democratic governance is under strain globally, and competition for resources and resilient supply chains are high priority, the EU can demonstrate that smart, data-driven, open systems deliver better and faster outcomes than opaque, outdated alternatives.