New Thresholds in Public Procurement for Architecture: A Growth Lever Not to Be Overlooked

Half of all architectural firms engage in public procurement contracts. These contracts, issued by public authorities, offer numerous development opportunities for those who can successfully adapt. This could become a significant growth lever for your business, provided you fully understand the stakes and the rules governing them. OOTI briefly revisits the new public procurement thresholds for 2024 and 2025 and offers some key strategies for effectively positioning yourself in this market.

Significant Changes to Public Procurement Thresholds in 2024-2025

‍Good news for professionals in construction and architecture! The European Commission publishes, as it does annually, the thresholds applicable to public procurement contracts from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025.

These thresholds, which are reviewed every two years, have seen a modest increase of 2 to 3% compared to the previous period.

Here are the main changes to note:

Implications of the New Thresholds for Professionals

‍It’s important to remember that public procurement thresholds refer to defined amounts beyond which public and private buyers must adhere to specific procedures when awarding their contracts. These thresholds, set at the European level, aim to regulate public spending and ensure principles of transparency, equal treatment, and competitive bidding. If the value of contracts exceeds these thresholds, buyers are obliged to initiate formalized procedures, such as public contests or negotiated procedures. Thus, these thresholds play a central role in regulating public procurement by preventing favoritism and promoting healthy competition.

A few statistics: today, public procurement accounts for 26.1% of the projects undertaken by architects, yet 47% of firms do not engage in it, a rate that rises to 67% among smaller agencies. Conversely, 98% of agencies operate in the private market, with 72% of smaller agencies reporting that this accounts for 75 to 100% of their activity.

Beyond these new amounts, public and private buyers must now mandatorily publish a public call for competition. This requirement is coupled with the need to adhere to specific rules regarding advertising, timing, and the conduct of the procedure, the main types being public tenders, negotiated procedures, and competitive dialogues.

5 Tips to Benefit from the New Public Procurement Thresholds

‍Given these changes in the thresholds, architectural firms must adapt to seize new opportunities that arise.

Here are some recommendations to enhance your chances of success:

1. Maintain regular regulatory monitoring to stay informed of the latest developments. The thresholds are revised every two years, so keep an eye out for upcoming changes. Check back at the end of 2025 for the announcement of new amounts.
2. Train your teams on the new formalized procedures (public tenders, negotiated procedures, competitive dialogues) and their specifics in terms of publication, dialogue with buyers, and award criteria.
3. Diversify your client portfolio by prospecting among public and private buyers, both large and small, to seize a maximum of opportunities, including those below the new thresholds.
4. Enhance the quality and relevance of your responses to calls for tenders to stand out from the competition and persuade buyers.
5. Invest in tools and resources that will allow you to more effectively follow ongoing consultations and respond within the given deadlines.

By adopting these practices, you will be well-prepared to fully leverage the new public procurement thresholds starting in 2024.

Sources :

• https://www.architectes.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/communique_presse_enquete_agences_18_12_2020_version_19_23.pdf#:~:text=March%C3%A9s%20publics%2C%20march%C3%A9s%20priv%C3%A9s%20Les,interviennent%20pas%20en%20march%C3%A9s%20publics
• https://www.indre-et-loire.gouv.fr/Actions-de-l-Etat/Collectivites-Territoriales/Commande-publique/Nouveaux-seuils-procedures-marches-publics-pour-les-annees-2024-2025/Nouveaux-seuils-procedures-marches-publics-pour-les-annees-2024-2025
• https://www.architectes.org/actualites/nouveaux-seuils-pour-la-passation-des-marches-publics-en-2024-et-2025