EU Public Procurement Directive

Directive 2014/24/EU establishes the core legal framework governing public procurement across EU Member States, aiming to ensure transparent, competitive, and non-discriminatory purchasing practices by public authorities. It requires equal treatment of bidders, proportionality, and clear procedural rules when awarding public contracts for works, supplies, and services above specified financial thresholds.

As of 1 January 2026, these thresholds include €5,404,000 for public works, €140,000 for central government contracts, €216,000 for local and regional government contracts, and €750,000 for social and other specific services. The Directive introduces flexibility through procedures such as open, restricted, competitive dialogue, and innovation partnerships, facilitating procurement of novel solutions while maintaining fair competition. It emphasizes awarding contracts based on the most economically advantageous tender, which may incorporate environmental, social, and quality criteria alongside price. To support SMEs, contracting authorities are encouraged to divide large contracts into lots.

Strong safeguards ensure compliance with EU and national labour, social, and environmental laws, and rules exist to address abnormally low bids. Exemptions apply for certain sectors such as water, energy, transport, and postal services, as well as for services that governments choose to provide directly.

Relevance to bio-waste and/or circular bioeconomy:

The Directive supports circular bioeconomy goals by enabling contracting authorities to integrate environmental criteria—such as resource efficiency, recycled content, and lifecycle performance—into award decisions. This framework allows procurement to prioritize biowaste-derived products, bio-based materials, and circular services, stimulating markets for sustainable solutions. Innovation partnerships also promote the development and adoption of new circular bioeconomy technologies and biowaste valorisation approaches.

EU (EEA relevance)

Full title: Consolidated text: Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public procurement and repealing Directive 2004/18/EC (Text with EEA relevance)

Publication date: 2014 (consolidated: 2026)

Instrument type: Directive

Binding for EU MS: Yes

Keywords: green public procurement, GPP, biobased products, compostable materials, life-cycle costing, environmental criteria, sustainable products, circular bioeconomy, innovation partnerships, procurement procedures