Europe’s energy transition depends on delivering the largest electricity grid expansion in EU history. 

ENTSO-E has published a position paper on the revision of the EU Public Procurement Directives, outlining what is needed to ensure procurement rules support, rather than slow down, the delivery of critical grid infrastructure. 

The European Union’s public procurement market is a cornerstone of its economy, with over 250,000 public authorities collectively spending around €2.3 trillion annually on services, works, and supplies. This expenditure represents approximately 15% of the EU’s GDP. The market encompasses a wide range of sectors, including infrastructure, construction, transport and logistics, healthcare, education, social services, catering, IT and communication, energy, waste management, and security and defence.  

Public procurement is a powerful tool for stimulating jobs, growth, and investment, fostering an economy that is more resilient, innovative, resource and energy-efficient, and socially inclusive. High-quality public services rely on modern, well-managed, and efficient procurement processes. Enhancing public procurement can lead to significant savings: a 1% efficiency gain could save €20 billion per year. 

The paper sets out fourteen targeted reforms focused on making grid procurement more strategic, improving flexibility for complex projects, and reducing administrative burden while strengthening digital tools and data governance. 

These recommendations are part of ENTSO-E’s contribution to the European Commission’s consultation on the future of EU public procurement. 

A fit-for-purpose framework is therefore essential to ensure TSOs can procure strategically, efficiently and securely, while still respecting transparency, equal treatment and competition. Without targeted reform, Europe risks falling short of its decarbonisation and security goals because the grid cannot be built fast enough. 

In this context, ENTSO-E has developed a dedicated position paper identifying fourteen targeted reforms, structured around three overarching priorities: 

• turning grid procurement into a strategic tool for Europe’s energy transition and industrial objectives; 
• providing TSOs with greater flexibility to deliver infrastructure on time; and 
• reducing administrative burden while strengthening the digital and data backbone of EU procurement. 

This paper is submitted as ENTSO-E’s contribution to the European Commission’s call for evidence on the revision of the EU Public Procurement Directives. ENTSO-E’s responses to the accompanying public consultation questionnaire are also available. 

Reference: 

Call for evidence: ENTSO-E Paper Procuring Europe’s Energy Transition