The Utrecht University Centre for Public Procurement is an interdisciplinary research centre in the field of public procurement both from a legal and economic perspective.

The Centre is a joint effort of the Utrecht University School of Law and the School of Economics of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance. Its aim is to contribute to an improvement of the utilisation, regulation, promotion, social and sustainable use of public procurement. The UUCePP team carries out scientific and applied interdisciplinary research and provides innovative education for students as well as for a variety of market parties and (semi-) public institutions.

See also: IOS platform 'The Transactional State'

Our research covers four themes

  • The art of choosing

    The first decision governments face is whether to self-provide or externalise services. Subsequently, the form of procurement best suited to (societal) needs has to be decided upon: pre-eminently the field of legal and economic disciplines.
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  • Responsible commissioning

    Procurement offers governments the opportunity to promote sustainable, inclusive and innovative solutions, by setting specific conditions, such as circularity and social return. The healthcare sector is a case in point.
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  • National security and critical infrastructure

    Safeguarding security interests and protecting critical infrastructure plays a major role in government procurement. Despite increasing legislation, procurement practice remains vulnerable to (new) security risks.
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  • Promoting democracy & the rule of law

    Procurement law is characterised by the principles of objectivity, equality and transparency, making it an important tool for fighting corruption and promoting democracy and the rule of law – in the Netherlands, too.
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