Navca: Proposed changes to EU procurement rules will help charities

Finance | Vibeka Mair | 5 Jan 2012

Navca has welcomed proposed changes to EU procurement rules, which it believes will make it easier for local charities and voluntary organisations to deliver public services.

Before Christmas, the European Commission published proposals for revised public procurement directives, following a consultation, to which a number of UK charity stakeholders responded, including NCVO and Navca.

Navca says the new proposals recognise that social, health and education services have specific characteristics that do not fit with the current EU procurement rules, and it believes this will make it easier for local charities and voluntary organisations to deliver public services.

Further, Navca particularly welcomes the proposed recommendations that the threshold for social, health and education services is significantly raised to €500,000 from €200,000, and that only basic principles of transparency and equal treatment should be applied to the way these services are purchased. Navca campaigned for these changes in the EU procurement rules.

Navca also says the Commission's proposal to introduce a need to explain why contracts above €500,000 have not been divided into lots, will help to support local charities delivering public services. Navca also welcomes new proposed regulations that would reduce environmental and social damage, for example, the ability to exclude bidders for breaching social, labour or environmental laws.

Kevin Curley, chief executive of Navca said: "EU procurement rules have a massive impact on charities and voluntary organisations, which are increasingly involved in the delivery of public services. The Commission has shown that is aware of the problems many local charities have with commissioning.

"These recommendations are a great step forward to making it easier for commissioning bodies to undertake the 'intelligent commissioning' processes that we have always campaigned for. Processes that recognise the true value that local charities and voluntary organisations bring to local public service delivery."

Directory: National Association of Voluntary and Community Action | National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
Who's Who: Kevin Curley

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