The Kommunale Bildungswerk e.V. (kbw) hosted the renowned Public Procurement Law 2025 conference in Berlin from 3 to 4 April 2025. The annual event provides a platform for experts from academia, practice and administration to discuss the latest developments in public procurement law. Jasmin Zilz and Benedikt Lücke from the Institute Industrial IT (inIT) at the Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe (TH OWL) gained an up-to-date overview of public procurement law in practice and case law through the diverse presentations by high-calibre speakers.
Current case law in public procurement law
A central topic of the symposium was the current case law of the public procurement committees and the Federal Court of Justice (BGH). Petra Willner presented important innovations and developments that are of great importance in practice. Dr. Ute Jasper focused on current trends and pragmatic solutions in public procurement law, with a particular focus on simplifying and making procurement processes more flexible.
Jasmin Zilz emphasises: "The better the preparation, the smoother the procurement process. Current case law and practical examples help to optimise the scope for action - for transparent, legally compliant and efficient decisions in procurement practice."
What to do when budgets are tight?
Christine Radeloff focussed on the challenges of public procurement law in times of tight budgets. She provided insights into how procurement procedures can be organised efficiently and with legal certainty despite budget freezes. Eric Neumann addressed practical exceptions to strict public procurement law and highlighted aspects such as contract amendments, urgent procedures and interim awards.
Exciting presentations on poor performance, climate impact and data protection law
Another exciting topic was the exclusion of companies due to poor performance, which Dr. Daniel Soudry analysed in detail. Thomas Heine drew attention to the often underestimated climate impact in public IT procurement and called for a strategic reorientation. The increasing importance of data protection law in procurement procedures was addressed by Dr.David Portner, who presented both the legal basis and practical solutions.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in procurement practice
Okan Doğan presented a particularly innovative topic: the role of Artificial Intelligence in procurement practice. Both opportunities and risks as well as suitable procurement strategies were discussed.
"Although AI is not yet a dominant topic in procurement, its importance is constantly growing and should not be ignored. At the same time, data protection is becoming increasingly relevant as digitalisation progresses and requires special attention," Benedikt Lücke is certain.
Varied supporting programme
The conference's supporting programme provided a refreshing change of pace. The improvisation theatre "Gorillas" portrayed everyday working life in procurement offices in a humorous way and made the participants smile. An exclusive guided tour with a look behind the historical backdrop of Tempelhof Airport rounded off the event alongside a joint dinner.
Participation consistently rewarding
From Jasmin Zilz’ and Benedikt Lücke's point of view, attending the Public Procurement Law 2025 symposium was thoroughly worthwhile. The dialogue with the expert speakers and other participants on current challenges, particularly in the areas of AI, data protection and sustainable procurement, gave them new insights for their practical work.
The two inIT employees confirm: "We are returning with fresh impulses and valuable impressions for implementation in research and application. We would especially like to thank the kbw organisation team and all the speakers. We look forward to seeing them again in 2026!"