Nearly 600 billion zloty a year: Poland rewrites the rules for public procurement

In brief

• The Polish government is shifting public procurement from lowest-price awards toward strategic buying that supports domestic firms.
• The procurement market is worth close to 600 billion zloty a year, and the new policy covers 2026–2029.
• Officials point to France, where 92 percent of public contracts go to French companies, as a model.
• Reports do not yet give full details of the planned procedural changes.

Why the state wants to change how it spends

The government says public procurement is now more than a purchasing routine. Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański presented the Public Procurement Policy for 2026–2029 at a conference in Warsaw, arguing that the state should buy strategically rather than chase the cheapest bid (Domański przedstawił priorytety polityki zakupowej państwa – Polska Agencja Prasowa SA) („Koniec dyktatu najniższej ceny”. Minister Domański o nowych zasadach gry – WNP.pl). He said the approach aims to raise the country's sovereignty and resilience while creating a pro-growth mechanism (Zamówienia publiczne będą wspierać rozwój krajowych przedsiębiorstw i odporność gospodarki – Ministerstwo Rozwoju i Technologii).

Smaller companies and domestic firms

A central goal is to raise the share of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in public contracts. Officials say public orders should help domestic firms scale up and stimulate investment (Blisko 600 mld zł w zamówieniach publicznych ma napędzać polskie firmy. Rząd prezentuje strategię – Bankier.pl). Deputy Minister of Development and Technology Michał Jaros pointed to France, where 92 percent of public contracts are won by French companies, despite similar European Union constraints (Rząd chce zmienić zasady zamówień publicznych. Ma być jak we Francji – WNP.pl) (Francuską gsopodarkę budują francuskie firmy. Rząd deklaruje, że tak będzie i w Polsce – WNP.pl).

Doubts about old procedures

Some questions remain about whether the new goals can work within existing rules. Agnieszka Olszewska, head of the Public Procurement Office, told WNP.pl that current laws are generally sufficient and that the challenge is using the available tools better (Wielkie pieniądze i nowe reguły. Państwo chce inaczej wydawać 600 mld zł – WNP.pl). She also announced changes intended to curb the abuse of appeals in tenders.

What happens next

The policy was adopted in April, and the government is now moving to implementation. The Ministry of Development and Technology frames the reform as a way to make procurement a tool for economic growth and national resilience. Details of the planned procedural changes have not yet been fully set out in the reports.