Increasing the Legitimacy of Tenders in Dutch Municipalities

Public procurers have to comply with a wide variety of rules and regulations. The degree of compliance to these rules and regulations is called legitimacy. However, in municipalities with a decentralized purchasing structure, the responsibility of conducting legitimate tenders lies on the shoulders of the operational purchasers. Despite the responsibility, through news articles and interviews with people involved, it turns out that the purchasing and especially tender procedures of Dutch municipalities lack legitimacy and have a stronger focus on efficiency. Performing legitimate tenders, and by that sticking to the European Tender Law, is important to avoid further restrictions on spending public money within a municipality.