Competitive dialogue and negotiated procedures are difficult to implement effectively but are essential for complex infrastructure and ICT projects and to modernise public services in the current fiscal climate. In the 2014 Public Procurement Directives, Competitive Dialogue and the new Competitive Procedure with Negotiation are easier to justify than in the former directives and are therefore more readily available for use. The rules for the two procedures are different, and the procedural rules for the Competitive Procedure with Negotiation are more detailed than the former rules of procedures including negotiation. Competitive Dialogue was also introduced as an available procedure in the utilities sector in Directive 2014/25/EU.

The many practical questions about the effective implementation of these procedures include:

• When is Competitive Dialogue a better procurement route than the Restricted Procedure or the Competitive Procedure with Negotiation?
• What justification will be needed for the use of Competitive Dialogue or the Competitive Procedure with Negotiation in the current directives?
• What do awarding bodies need to do to plan the effective use of these procedures?
• How can awarding bodies best use the flexibility that the procedures provide?

Experience shows that not all methods of using Competitive Dialogue and the Competitive Procedure with Negotiation have so far been equally effective in promoting value for money for the public sector, and objective advise on when and how to use these procedures is hard to find.

This very practical Master Class will give you the opportunity to receive case-specific advice on the issues arising in your own procurement from our experts and from other participants.

You will also receive a copy of the EIPA book Competitive Dialogue and Negotiated Procedures – A Practical Guide (2nd edition), written by Michael Burnett and Martin Oder, which is available exclusively to Master Class participants.