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Public procurement in the Netherlands
The Dutch government procures around € 116 billion worth of work, services and supplies every year. Much of this is for the primary process: roads, bridges, home care, school books, school transport, and so on. Procurement is therefore a key tool for ensuring quality in government services. The Public Procurement Act (in Dutch: Aanbestedingswet 2012) applies to all public contracts.
The Dutch government, together with regional and local authorities, wants to stimulate the market for sustainable products. Sustainable public procurement means focussing on the environmental and social impact of procurement as well as the price of the products, services or works in question.
Online tendering system
Tenderned is the Dutch government's online tendering system. All Dutch authorities are obliged to publish their national and European tenders on Tenderned's announcement platform, so businesses can access all public publications from a single webpage. Through TenderNed, all parties can digitally manage all steps throughout the entire tender process. This is determined by the contracting authority. TenderNed is a certified supplier of the European publication platform Tenders Electronic Daily (TED).
PIANOo, the Dutch Public Procurement Expertise Centre, was set up to professionalise procurement and tendering in all government departments, with a view to improving efficiency and compliance with the rules. Professional procurement can contribute to successful policy and offers value for taxpayers' money.