Current outsourcing of Commission services

6 October 2014
E-007575-14
Question for written answer
to the Commission
Rule 130
Alfred Sant (S&D)

Subject: Current outsourcing of Commission services

1. Could the Commission provide a list of Commission services which are currently being outsourced to private entities?

2. Since when has each of these services been outsourced?

3. How were the relevant contracts awarded in each case?

25 November 2014
E-007575/2014
Answer given by Vice-President Georgieva on behalf of the Commission
The concept of ‘outsourcing’ is not defined so the Commission interprets it as referring to public contracts for services. The Commission cannot undertake, for the purposes of answering a written question, the lengthy and costly research that would be required to provide the Honourable Member with the detailed information requested.

When procuring activities, the Commission services are bound by specific provisions of the Financial Regulation (FR(1)) and its Rules of Application (RAP(2)) on public procurement setting out conditions under which such contracts may be awarded to tenderers.

As regards public contracts for services in general, each Authorising Officer(3) within the Commission is empowered to make decisions regarding contracting out the activities of the service they are responsible for. All public contracts above EUR 134 000 are published in award notices in the Official Journal(4). Contractors are also published in the Financial Transparency System(5) for contracts above EUR 15 000.

(1) Articles 101 to 120 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 (OJ L 298, 26.10.2012).
(2) Articles 121 to 172 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 (OJ L 362, 31.12.2012).
(3) Article 65 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 (OJ L 298, 26.10.2012).
(4) http://ted.europa.eu/TED/main/HomePage.do
(5) http://ec.europa.eu/budget/fts/index_en.htm