Procurement reform must prioritise people, sustainability and public value

NSDPP logos and network name

(4 June, 2025) Ahead of a key vote in the European Parliament’s Internal Market (IMCO) Committee on 25–26 June, EPSU has joined a wide coalition of trade unions and civil society organisations calling for a more sustainable, fair, and people-focused approach to public procurement in the EU.

In a joint open letter coordinated by the Network for Sustainable Development in Public Procurement (NSDPP), EPSU and others urge Members of the European Parliament to support compromise amendments that shift public procurement away from a “lowest price wins” model. Strong social and environmental criteria should be the norm and  public money must be used in ways that support good jobs, fair wages, climate action, and community wellbeing.

EPSU General Secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan wrote a separate letter to the IMCO Committee to highlight our priorities from a public services perspective. The EU spends around 14% of its GDP on public procurement - how this money is spent matters deeply for workers and public services.

In particular, EPSU urges Members of the IMCO Committee to:

  • Keep wording that promotes collective bargaining and ILO Convention 94 on labour clauses in public contracts;
  • Safeguard the right of local governments to provide services in-house without excessive red tape or pressure to outsource;
  • Support a shift towards the “Most Economically Advantageous Tender” (MEAT) approach, which looks at social and quality factors,  not just the cheapest bid;
  • Strengthen rules allowing public authorities to work together, including through public-public cooperation.

Public procurement reform cannot not deepen marketisation or social dumping. It must instead help rebuild stronger, fairer public services and economies.

EPSU will continue to ensure public money works for the public good. The IMCO vote is a key moment. We urge MEPs to back progressive amendments and reject proposals that risk undermining labour standards, sustainability, and democratic control.

Read EPSU’s letter to the IMCO Committee here.

Read the NDSPP letter here.

Read EPSU’s position on the public procurement reform here.