What is E-Procurement?
E-Procurement (electronic procurement) refers to the fully digital handling of public procurement procedures. Since October 18, 2018, electronic procurement has been mandatory for contracts above EU thresholds in Germany, and since 2020 it applies to most sub-threshold procurements as well.
Legal Basis
The obligation stems from multiple legal sources including § 9 VgV (electronic communication principle), § 97 GWB (transparency requirement), and EU Directive 2014/24/EU.
How Does E-Procurement Work?
The entire process runs digitally: publication on a procurement platform, electronic retrieval of documents, digital bidder communication, encrypted bid submission, digital opening of bids, and electronic award notification.
Major E-Procurement Platforms in Germany
Key platforms include DTVP (largest nationwide platform), Vergabe24, Staatsanzeiger eServices, Subreport ELViS, eVergabe.de, and Vergabe.NRW. The fragmentation across 180+ platforms poses significant challenges for bidders.
Benefits
E-procurement offers transparency through documented processes, efficiency through faster procedures, EU-wide access to tenders, legal certainty through verifiable deadlines and encryption, and cost savings by eliminating printing and postage.