Brussels, June 10th 2015. EUPLAT, the European Association of Public e-Tendering Platform Providers, marks new stage in the consolidation and regulation of e-­Procurement, by providing the ability to evaluate and grant an accreditation standard to platform providers.

This accreditation, based on the objectives of the Directive 2014/24/EU, has been created with the intention that platforms provide increased value to customers, (European Contracting Authorities), and to ensure legal framework, openness and access to Economic Operators, with greater transparency, security and use of best practices. It also aims to inspire both Governments and Contracting Authorities when evaluating their options and defining their strategy towards the implementation of Public e­‐Tendering platforms. The accreditation stresses the most important aspects to consider when implementing the combination of technology and services that makes up such platforms.

Electronic Procurement is one of the pillars of the European 2020 procurement strategy and as such the implementation period defined by the directives will need massive deployment of e-­‐Procurement. With this accreditation, EUPLAT aims to contribute to a high quality and innovative market of platform providers, fueled by competition and continuous investment in new technology.

EUPLAT developed working group consisting of experts with extensive knowledge in the market of public e­-Procurement platforms from different countries of the EU. After an exhaustive review of the different national regulations, the technological demands of the different contracting authorities and technology platforms, the group has agreed standard document based o 12 sections and 50 subsections, accrediting the most relevant aspects of platforms from the perspectives of Functionality, Security and Service.