EU Public Procurement Act proposal is published: implications for the flat glass sector

On 9 September, the European Commission published its proposal for a Public Procurement Act (PPA), a Regulation intended to replace the three current Directives with a single, directly applicable set of rules across all EU Member States. Public procurement represents around 15% of EU GDP, and the Commission’s stated ambition is to simplify and modernise the framework, notably making it a lever for the EU’s strategic priorities.

Public buyers are major clients of the construction and automotive sectors (from public buildings and infrastructure to vehicle fleets); this legislation will therefore impact the market for architectural and automotive glazing.

The outcome of upcoming works matters beyond procurement specialists, and several elements of the proposal would, for instance, affect the flat glass sector.

For instance, the European Commission proposes a shift towards best price-quality ratio when setting award criteria. The PPA proposal thus requires that quality criteria, such as technical merit and environmental performance, count for at least 30% of award points. High-performance glazing, which brings value over time, while buildings and vehicles operate, could benefit from criteria that reward quality and performance over lowest-price-only consideration.

The proposal also allows public buyers to restrict tenders to EU operators and to favour EU-origin content, with provisions to include trusted partners in what counts as EU origin. How this plays out for the flat glass sector will depend on the parallel Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), where Glass for Europe is actively working to ensure glass is well positioned.

Finally, the PPA proposal lets buyers build environmental requirements into specifications and award criteria through voluntary Green Public Procurement. An important technical aspect of the proposal is the commitment to referencing existing EU performance classes and standards (such as those of the Construction Products Regulation for concerned products) in public tenders. This harmonisation measure is crucial to maintain a functioning single market for construction products, including flat glass. It also underlines the importance of ongoing work to ensure a workable implementation of the CPR, in which Glass for Europe has been thoroughly engaged.

The proposal now moves to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU for negotiation. Glass for Europe will continue to follow the file closely and engage on the points most relevant to the sector.