Public procurement in Latvia: what it is and how it works
What public procurement is, how it works, who runs it and how a company can take part. A beginner's introduction.
Public procurement is how state and municipal bodies buy goods, services and works with public money. To spend it responsibly, purchases run in open competition, and any company that meets the requirements can take part.
Who runs public procurement
Contracting authorities are state and municipal institutions, their companies and other bodies handling public funds. Some fields — such as utilities and defence — have their own rules.
How a procurement works
In short: the buyer publishes a notice with rules and requirements, companies submit bids, the buyer evaluates them on announced criteria and signs a contract with the winner. See How to participate in a public tender.
Where it happens and who oversees it
Most procedures run in the Electronic Procurement System (EIS), overseen by the Procurement Monitoring Bureau (IUB).
What governs it
The main act is the Public Procurement Law. Below a certain value a simplified below-threshold regime applies, and green procurement requirements are increasingly common.