IT accord worries EU suppliers

IT accord worries EU suppliers

The bureaucratic image of the European Union’s institutions has in the past left cynical observers seeing only costs rather than benefits.

But in the technology arena the EU is trying hard to dispel this image and, like most commercial IT directors, is working hard to advance its use of IT, even while cutting costs.

The three main European Union institutions: the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers are increasingly synchronising their technology choices for hardware, software and maintenance support.

But each institution has different IT needs and the trend towards joint tendering and purchasing has received a mixed reaction from suppliers, who still have to deal with three different bodies.

The three institutions are so large that it is very difficult to synchronise their technologies, said a Parliament spokesperson. “The Parliament has enough problems setting up its own tenders, never mind handling joint ones,” he said.

Synchronising technologies will bring benefits such as opportunities to use ready-made applications developed by other institutions. But in chasing value for money, the EU institutions may find joint tendering more costly for themselves and their suppliers than they bargained for.

Share

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Resources & Whitepapers

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

Professional Services Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

3y

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folde...

In the past decade, the professional services industry has transformed significantly. Digital disruptions, increased competition, and changing market ...

View resource
2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

3y

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professi...

In recent months, professional services firms are facing more pressure than ever to deliver value to clients. Often, clients look at the firms own inf...

View resource
Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

Accounting Firms Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

3y

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...

View resource
Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

Making Tax Digital Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

3y

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

The first phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) saw the requirement for the digital submission of the VAT Return using compliant software. That’s now behi...

View resource