Hamm is happy: New procurement rules bring a breath of fresh air!

Hamm is happy: New procurement rules bring a breath of fresh air!

From January 1, 2025, a breath of fresh air will blow into municipal procurement procedures in North Rhine-Westphalia. The new regulations are intended not only to ensure faster and more economical orders, but also to strengthen the self-responsibility of municipalities. The city of Hamm is already optimistic and has a good feeling about the implementation, as LippeWelle reports.

The main objectives of the reform are clear: the principles of transparency, competition and equal treatment are retained, while at the same time bureaucracy is reduced. Almost 80 percent of all municipal orders in North Rhine-Westphalia will be affected by these changes. This includes, in particular, construction contracts worth less than 5,538,000 euros net as well as delivery and service orders worth less than 221,000 euros. The city of Hamm is convinced that these defined dimensions are sensible and effective, even if they admit that comprehensive figures are difficult to obtain.

Revolutionizing procurement law

But that's just the beginning. Further serious changes are already planned for January 1, 2026, which will revolutionize the entire procurement practice in North Rhine-Westphalia. On July 9, 2025, the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament passed a draft law that abolishes all state value limits for municipal procurement procedures. This measure takes place within the framework of the new principles set out in Section 75a of the municipal code. From now on, a formal tender will only be necessary if the EU thresholds are reached, as vhw.de describes in detail.

By abolishing the obligation to comply with the sub-threshold procurement regulations (UVgO) and the procurement and contract regulations for construction work (VOB/A), municipalities gain enormous scope for action. You can now decide more flexibly about the design of your procurement processes. This promises not only an increase in efficiency, but also potentially more cost-effective solutions to the needs of cities and communities.

Uniform regulations and new technologies

However, one crucial point remains: the specific form of these new procurement law principles is currently unclear. Here, municipal employees urgently need uniform guidelines and guidelines for action. These are necessary in order to effectively implement the requirements for economic efficiency and transparency as well as the principles of competition and equal treatment. The auditing offices and the municipal auditing institute also require uniform auditing standards so that the new regulations can really take effect, according to cosinex.

A further step towards modernization comes with a new module for entering direct orders (eDI), which will be introduced for state authorities from mid-March 2026. This AI-supported system not only promises to simplify processes, but could also ensure that the need for innovative solutions increases significantly in the next few years.

Overall, it can be seen that NRW is preparing for a new era of procurement procedures, which is accompanied by more flexibility and less bureaucracy. Everyone involved is excited to see how these reforms will affect practice and how communities can benefit from the new design options.