Dr Willem Janssen appointed Extraordinary Professor of Public Procurement Law

As of 1 September 2023, Dr Willem Janssen has been appointed Extraordinary Professor of Public Procurement Law at the University of Groningen’s Faculty of Law. The chair is established by the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Aanbestedingsrecht (Dutch Association for Public Procurement Law; NVvA) and is vested in the European and Economic Law Section (EER) of the Department of Business Law, European Law and Tax Law (BEB).

Public procurement law plays an essential role in our society. Every year, more than 250,000 governments in the European Union spend approximately 14-19% of European GDP on the public procurement of services, works and supplies. In the Netherlands, this amounts to more than 86 billion per year. This field of law, based on principles of non-discrimination, equality, transparency and proportionality within the European Union as well as the Netherlands, is of great importance for a good relationship between government and market. Discussions about the fight against climate change and social inequality, the future of the European internal market, and globalization are placing a stronger emphasis on the question how to regulate public procurement in a just manner. However, effectiveness is not a given, and requires scholarly attention in research as well as education.

Given the strong European and economic character of this area of law, the chair is part of the European and Economic Law section. Janssen will teach and conduct research under the research theme Protecting European Citizens and Market Participants.

Curriculum vitae
Willem Janssen (‘s-Hertogenbosch, 1988) is an Associate Professor in European and Dutch Public Procurement Law at Utrecht University. He is a researcher at the Centre for Regulation and Enforcement in Europe (RENFORCE) and the Center for Public Procurement (UUCePP). His research line ‘Public Procurement (Law) for Good’ focuses on challenging issues within European and Dutch public procurement law, such as the tensions between market integration and climate change or between globalization and social inequality.

Janssen regularly publishes about public procurement law in English and Dutch academic journals, is a sought-after lecturer and speaker about this field of law, also in light of sustainable development, and was a visiting scholar at George Washington University in 2014 and the University of Copenhagen in 2021. In September 2022, he was appointed by the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate as chair of the Adviescommissie Gids Proportionaliteit (Advisory Committee Proportionality Guide). Amongst other things, he is also co-editor of Tekst en Commentaar Aanbestedingsrecht, member of the European Procurement Law Group and editorial board member of the Tijdschrift Aanbestedingsrecht en Staatssteun (Dutch Journal for Public Procurement Law and State Aid). He is actively involved in improving public procurement practice, including as co-host of the Dutch and English podcasts BESTEK – de Aanbestedingspodcast / the Public Procurement Podcast.

This article was published by the Faculty of Law.