Brussels, 16 March 2023
Today, the Commission unveils its plan to build a European data space for public procurement data, alongside the Commission Communication on the Single Market at 30. It outlines the basic architecture and analytics toolkit to be put in place by mid-2023 and procurement data published at EU level to be then available in the system. By the end of 2024, all participating national publication portals should be connected, historic data published at EU level integrated, and the analytics toolkit expanded.
The Public Procurement Data Space will pool data on the preparation for tenders, calls for tenders and outcome of tenders. This data is currently spread in different formats and at different levels, European and national. The Data Space will allow for new insights through a state-of-the-art analytics toolkit, including artificial intelligence technologies, for instance machine learning and natural language processing. This will enable more targeted and transparent public spending, improve access to calls for tenders for companies and especially SMEs, and boost data-driven policymaking. It will help public buyers and businesses improve their investment and bidding strategies, and to give all stakeholders greater transparency and better value for money.
The public sector, worth over €2 trillion across the EU every year, almost 13.6% of EU GDP, should play its part in supporting green industries. The Public Procurement Data Space will allow public authorities to share best practices including for more targeted use of public funds towards green industries.
As underlined in the 2023 Annual Single Market Report, leveraging the potential of data is key to ensuring that the Single market meets its full potential in supporting the resilience and competitiveness of the European economy.