eForms standard for publishing public procurement data
eForms are at the core of the digital transformation of public procurement in the EU. Through the use of a common standard and terminology, they can significantly improve the quality and analysis of data.
eForms are standard forms used by public buyers to publish notices on Tenders Electronic Daily—an online portal for public procurement notices from across the EU.
eForms were established under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1780, which was published on 25 October 2019. The standard forms to be used for the publication of procurement notices are set out in the annex to this regulation.
Well-implemented eForms will increase the ability of businesses and other organisations to find procurement notices. They will also reduce the administrative burden for buyers, increase the ability of governments to make data-driven decisions about public spending, and make public procurement more transparent.
Implementation in EU countries
eForms need to be implemented in national eProcurement systems and they must be tailored to national needs. They do not constitute an “off-the-shelf” law that can be implemented by IT departments alone.
To support policy makers in EU countries, the European Commission has prepared:
eForms Policy Implementation Handbook: The purpose of this document is to help policymakers tailor the new eForms to national needs before they are implemented into national eProcurement systems. Procurement policy decision-makers need to hold discussions with all stakeholders and decide on how the various attributes of eForms should be implemented.
eForms Governance and Life-Cycle Management document: This document provides a high-level description of the eForms governance model, which will be further elaborated in the future. Its aim is to describe the governance structure of eForms at EU level and how the life cycle will be managed.