In an environment where value for money and regulatory compliance are essential, pooled purchasing is a major strategic lever for contracting authorities and candidate bidders. For contracting authorities, it reduces costs, improves the quality of services and simplifies contract management. For bidders, it offers greater visibility, a larger volume of business and wider commercial opportunities.

The benefits of pooled purchasing

For contracting authorities, the pooling of purchases represents a strategic lever for making significant savings and improving the management of public contracts. By aggregating requirements, it is possible to negotiate more advantageous prices and optimise budgets thanks to a beneficial volume effect. Centralising administrative procedures reduces the workload and minimises duplication, making the process smoother and more efficient. Unified contract management also ensures greater compliance with current regulations and simplifies controls, thereby reducing legal risks. Finally, pooling provides access to a high-quality offering, with joint tenders attracting more competitive and innovative service providers, which benefits all participating public bodies.

For businesses, this approach represents an opportunity for growth and simplification. By responding to a single call for tenders covering several public bodies, they can reach a wider market while reducing their commercial and administrative costs. Signing a pooled contract gives them a more stable business volume and lasting contractual relationships, improving their visibility and financial predictability. In addition, centralised purchasing planning enables them to adapt their production and logistics to consolidated demand, optimising their resource management and boosting their competitiveness.

Challenges and risks to anticipate

Organisational complexity and coordination are major challenges in the pooling of purchasing. Clear governance must be put in place to ensure good coordination between the stakeholders and avoid administrative delays. 

Harmonising requirements and selection criteria can also prove tricky, as each contracting authority has its own specificities and constraints. It is essential to define expectations clearly from the outset to ensure a coherent approach. 

Contractual rigidity is another risk, as a pooled contract may lack the flexibility to meet specific or changing needs. Adjustment mechanisms therefore need to be built into the specifications to ensure optimum adaptability.

Finally, the risk of market concentration should not be overlooked. If purchases are grouped together too widely, this can lead to excessive dependence on a small number of suppliers, limiting long-term competition and reducing negotiating power.

Concrete examples of successful pooling

In Belgium, some intermunicipal authorities are grouping together their purchases of energy and IT equipment in order to obtain more advantageous terms and streamline contract management. This approach enables them to benefit from more competitive rates while simplifying the administrative processes involved in purchasing.

In the hospital sector, several establishments are working together to pool their medical equipment orders, enabling them to significantly reduce costs while guaranteeing the availability of essential equipment. This strategy promotes more efficient management of resources and ensures a constant supply of essential care equipment.

On a European scale, central purchasing bodies such as UGAP in France and MercurHosp in Belgium facilitate access to public contracts for local authorities and public institutions. These platforms enable public purchasers to benefit from specialised expertise and a secure contractual framework, while optimising the time and cost of acquiring goods and services.

Conclusion

The pooling of purchases represents a major opportunity for contracting authorities and economic operators. Properly managed, it enables public spending to be optimised, processes to be made more secure and competition to be stimulated by offering new opportunities to businesses.

Sources

• French Ministry of Economy - Guide to Public Procurement Group Purchasing
• European Commission - EU Public Procurement and Joint Purchasing Directive
• UVCW - Procurement Grouping Strategies in Belgium