Target group
This master class is aimed at policy-makers, public officials from national and sub-national administrations and other bodies awarding public contracts (and their professional advisers) in EU Member States, candidate countries and beyond, from European institutions and organisations, and from international organisations based in the EU.

Description
Competitive dialogue and negotiated procedures are difficult to implement effectively but are essential for the complex infrastructure projects needed to modernise public services in the current fiscal climate.

The 2014 Public Procurement Directives mean that competitive dialogue and the newly created competitive procedure with negotiation will be easier to justify and are thus likely to be more frequently used. The rules for competitive dialogue have been changed in Directive 2014/24/EU as compared to those in Directive 2004/18/EC and the procedural rules for the competitive procedure with negotiation are more detailed than for the negotiated procedure with prior publication of a contract notice in Directive 2004/18/EC. Competitive dialogue has also been introduced as an available procedure in the utilities sectors in Directive 2014/25/EU.

The emphasis of the master class is on the new directives but the interactive style of the master class means that issues can also be addressed where participants are running procedures launched under the 2004 directives. The many practical questions about the effective implementation of these procedures include, for example:
• What will the changes in Directive 2014/24/EU mean for the use of competitive dialogue and negotiated procedures.
• 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 new directives?
• What do awarding bodies need to do to plan the effective use of these procedures?
• How can awarding bodies best use the flexibility which the procedures provide?
Experience shows that not all methods of using competitive dialogue and negotiated procedures have so far been equally effective in promoting value for money for the public sector, and objective advice on when and how to use these procedures is hard to find. This master class will give you the opportunity to receive advice on your specific issues from our experts and to share the experience of others in the public sector.

Participants will receive a copy of the new EIPA book“Competitive Dialogue and Negotiated Procedures – A Practical Guide” (2nd edition), written by Michael Burnett and Martin Oder.

Learning methodology
Presentations and exchange of experiences. The approach is based on a high degree of interactive discussion of practical issues faced by participants. Numbers are limited to a maximum of 20 participants to facilitate discussion and maximise learning benefits.

Objectives
Master classes are intended for public officials and their professional advisers with a good understanding of public procurement issues aiming to improve knowledge/skills in competitive dialogue and negotiated procedures and to discuss practical issues relevant to procurements in progress/about to be launched.

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