Bestek - Public Procurement Central
You might ask: why include the cutlery symbol in the Bestek logo?
No, we did not start a restaurant.
Well, ‘Bestek’ is a Dutch word with a double meaning. Most Dutchies know it as ‘cutlery’. Therefore, it fits our love for food and wine. However, public procurement affecionados in the Netherlands will also know it as a reference to the written wishes and demands of a contracting authority that aims to tender a public contract. So there you have it: the circle is complete.
BESTEK – Public Procurement Central is a fun and light-hearted place for insightful and in-depth conversations about public procurement law in a fun manner – dare we say.
prof. dr. Willem Janssen is an Associate Professor in European and Dutch Public Procurement Law at the law department of Utrecht University, and a researcher at the Centre for Public Procurement (UUCePP) and the Centre for Regulation and Enforcement in Europe (RENFORCE). He is a Professor of Public Procurement law and holds the Endowed Chair of the Dutch Association for Public Procurement Law at the Faculty of Law, Groningen University.
His line of research on public procurement law focusses on sustainable and responsible outsourcing and insourcing in the public procurement (law) context. He was a visiting fellow at George Washington University (D.C.) and at Copenhagen University. He is often asked to provide expert opinions and has led research projects for various public authorities and market parties, including the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Affairs and Ministry of Economic Affairs.
In addition to having presented his work at, amongst others, Universities of Oxford, Antwerp, Turin, Nottingham, his work has been published in various international and Dutch academic journals. In 2018, he published his monologue on the influence of EU public procurement law on self-organisation by public authorities (reviewed in Tijdschrift Aanbestedingsrecht & Staatssteunrecht, SEW and C.M.L.R.), and led a committee that advised the Dutch State Secretary of Economic Affairs on improving public procurement practices in the Netherlands.
Associate Professor Marta Andhov, PhD, has joined the University of Auckland with a joint appointment at both the Auckland Business School and the Auckland Law School. She brings an international reputation for excellence in governmental contracts, public procurement law, and sustainability within business law. Marta’s research focuses on the intersection of public and private law, particularly in relation to governmental contracts in the commercial sector, and extends broadly across international trade and competition law. Her work stands out for integrating sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and ESG concepts into legal frameworks governing governmental contracts, assessing their suitability, legal risks, and costs.
Throughout her career, Marta has emphasized the professionalization of the procurement sector, conducting research, training, and teaching to modernize procurement processes, enhance competition, and make them resilient to contemporary challenges. Her significant contributions have helped pioneer the inclusion of sustainability in governmental contracts, especially within European Union public procurement law.
Marta has provided expert advice and training to numerous prestigious companies, as well as national and international organizations, including the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, the European Commission and Parliament, and the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization in Italy. She has also conducted a series of seminars for the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) in Australia, and offered her expertise to Australian state governments, Australasian Procurement & Construction Council Inc, Office of the Auditor General for Western Australia and the Attorney-General’s Chambers in Singapore. Her research has been widely cited, including in the Opinion of the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice. She is frequently sought by organizations to assess their sustainability and innovation readiness, develop sustainability strategies, and support their implementation within compliance and contract management frameworks.
Marta's projects
- A leader of the Purchase Power – Sustainable Public Procurement Through Private Law Enforcement Purple project, which received KR.4.991.514 from Carlsberg Foundation;
- A co-lead of the EU-Horizon 2020 funded Sustainability and Procurement in International, European, and National Systems (SAPIENS). SAPIENS has been awarded a Horizon 2020; Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network (ITN) grant of €3,9 million,
- Member of the Connecting COnsumers and producers to REbalance farmers’ position through AmbassaDOrs Trainings (COCOREADO), awarded a Horizon 2020 grant of €2,9 million. Within its working package four, the project focuses on improving conditions for sustainable public procurement of local and seasonal food;
- A co-host of the popular Bestek Public Procurement Podcast, which explores public procurement law issues through informal yet in-depth discussions.
Projects
- A leader of the Purchase Power – Sustainable Public Procurement Through Private Law Enforcement Purple project, which received KR.4.991.514 from Carlsberg Foundation;
- A co-lead of the EU-Horizon 2020 funded Sustainability and Procurement in International, European, and National Systems (SAPIENS). SAPIENS has been awarded a Horizon 2020; Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network (ITN) grant of €3,9 million
Her 2019 co-edited book, Cost and EU Public Procurement Law – Life-Cycle Costing for Sustainability, contributes to developing life-cycle criteria tools and methodologies for public procurement in the EU.
Sven Mikulic is a student research assistant at the University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Law, and is currently pursuing an MSc degree in International Business and Politics at Copenhagen Business School. As part of the BESTEK team, he manages the Bestek website and handles its SoMe.
Aside from this, he is actively contributing to PurpLE, SAPIENS Network, and COCOREADO projects with a research focus on the economic analysis of sustainable public procurement law and policies. He is also researching contract automation systems and other LegalTech topics from a business perspective within Copenhagen Legal Tech Lab.
CONTRIBUTORS
DUTCH PODCAST
Matanja Pinto
- A leader of the Purchase Power – Sustainable Public Procurement Through Private Law Enforcement Purple project, which received KR.4.991.514 from Carlsberg Foundation;
- A co-lead of the EU-Horizon 2020 funded Sustainability and Procurement in International, European, and National Systems (SAPIENS). SAPIENS has been awarded a Horizon 2020; Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network (ITN) grant of €3,9 million,
- Member of the Connecting COnsumers and producers to REbalance farmers’ position through AmbassaDOrs Trainings (COCOREADO), awarded a Horizon 2020 grant of €2,9 million. Within its working package four, the project focuses on improving conditions for sustainable public procurement of local and seasonal food;
- A co-host of the popular Bestek Public Procurement Podcast, which explores public procurement law issues through informal yet in-depth discussions.
Matanja Pinto
Matanja Pinto is an attorney at law since 2005 and an expert in the field of procurement law, has a passion for radio, and is a host of the Dutch episodes of Bestek – de Aanbestedingspodcast. His vast experience in complex matters and matters of high value make him the attorney of choice for many large organizations. Matanja’s focus on sustainability and all phases of the lifecycle of property is highly valued by his clients.
Matanja is co-author of ‘Tekst & Commentaar Aanbestedingsrecht’ published by Kluwer and ‘Commentaar Aanbestedingsrecht’ published by Sdu, the standard texts on procurement law. He is a PhD candidate at Maastricht University and writes about free will and private law. He teaches courses on purchasing and procurement.
BLOG
Editors
jsa
Editors
- Associate professor Marta Andhov PhD
- Associate professor Willem Janssen PhD
- Professor Michal Kania, PhD
THANKS: Ezgi Uysal, Nadia Sava Magdalena Maria Socha,
01
Bestek Discusses…
…the world of public procurement law via our discussions, we hope to contribute to solutions and a better understanding of public procurement law through BESTEK.
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Bestek
Makes…
…research accessible. Research results often do not reach the place in which it matters the most. Through the BESTEK – Public Procurement Central, we aim to make such findings accessible to the public procurement world by providing a starting point for discussions between academics, attorneys, public officials, contracting officers, judges and policymakers.
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Bestek Improves…
…the public image of public procurement. Ultimately, Bestek hopes to contribute to a better understanding of public procurement (law). The public debate often sketches a somewhat limited view of the added value and workings of public procurement rules and practices. BESTEK attempts to fight fake news and aims to balance the debate by highlighting benefits and negative effects.
Our Podcasts
Dr. WiIlem Janssen, dr. Marta Andhov and Matanja Pinto take great pleasure into crafting BESTEK podcast episodes that can start discussions about public procurement law and practice. Join them in improving the public procurement worlds!
OUR Research
Research results often do not reach the place in which it matters the most. At BESTEK, we aim to make such findings accessible to the public procurement world. We provide a starting point for discussions between academics, attorneys, public officials, contracting officers, judges and policymakers through our articles on this website. We also publish our own research and share that with our visitors through the BESTEK.