The Timber Construction Coalition (KfH) has expressed a positive view on the European Commission's proposal for a revised EU procurement regulation. The draft aims to strengthen qualitative competition, expand negotiation flexibility in procurement procedures, and more firmly anchor sustainability criteria in public procurement. These innovations are considered advantageous for innovative, serial, and modular construction methods.
Although the KfH fundamentally welcomes the substantive direction of the proposal, it expresses concerns regarding the envisaged timeline. According to current plans, the legislative process is not expected to conclude until the end of 2027, with the new rules not entering into force before 2029. Sun Jensch, founder and managing director of the Timber Construction Coalition, emphasised that the proposal from Brussels sets the right starting points, particularly for serial and modular construction, which requires procurement procedures that give greater consideration to quality, innovation, and sustainability, and allow contracting authorities more leeway. However, she noted that the timeline does not align with the urgency of the tasks, and the construction industry does not have time for slow political progress.
Qualitative Criteria and Flexibility in Awarding Contracts
Key innovations in the Commission's draft include expanded negotiation opportunities and a stronger weighting of qualitative criteria. In future, negotiations will be permitted in all types of procedures. Exclusive competition based solely on the lowest price is to be abolished, and qualitative award criteria should account for at least 30 percent of the overall evaluation. At the same time, public contracting authorities at European level are to retain flexibility in awarding contracts to general and main contractors. Furthermore, it is planned to be able to set binding environmental requirements for individual product groups.
Dr. Rut Herten-Koch, specialist lawyer for public procurement law at Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft and ambassador for the Timber Construction Coalition, highlighted that the draft contains important strategic directions for public construction procurement. Procedures with rigid specifications and pure price competition would thus become a thing of the past. Particularly in the case of serial and modular timber construction concepts, technical, economic, and sustainability-related requirements could be better taken into account. The retained flexibility for contracting authorities at EU level in general and main contractor procurements was also judged to be groundbreaking. These new opportunities could provide important impetus for modern timber construction as well as serial and modular construction methods.
Accelerated Implementation to Address Housing Shortage
Sun Jensch added that the housing shortage cannot wait for European legislative deadlines. She demanded that the new rules should become effective as early as 2028, provided that the legislative process can be concluded by the end of 2027. Europe needs more housing, efficient infrastructure, and faster construction processes. A reform that creates the conditions for this should not be unnecessarily delayed.
