The German Ministry of Defence has announced significant changes to procurement procedures for the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces), streamlining the awarding of construction projects and supply contracts. Responding to inquiries from Left Party parliamentarian Pascal Meiser, the ministry confirmed a substantial increase in the thresholds allowing for direct contract awards without competitive tendering.
Recent legislation aimed at accelerating Bundeswehr procurement now permits the direct awarding of construction projects up to a value of €1 million. Previously, this limit stood at €15,000. Similarly, the threshold for delivery and service contracts has been raised to €443,000.
An earlier draft considered increases to €500,000 and €100,000 respectively. According to the ministry, even those earlier proposed increases would have resulted in approximately 97.5% of the roughly 18,800 construction contracts issued in 2024 being awarded directly. Almost 35% of the 49,760 delivery and service contracts would also have fallen under direct award limits. The total financial volume of contracts falling below these new thresholds during 2024 remains unquantifiable, according to the Ministry’s response.
The amendments have drawn criticism, with parliamentarian Meiser referencing the controversial “mask affair” of the past, suggesting that the new system of largely unrestricted direct contract awards could create opportunities for similar issues to arise.