ABSTRACT
The German case reports on a project headed by the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V./DLR). This chapter starts with an overview of German public authorities. The German system of public authorities is quite complex and results in a very sophisticated public procurement system. It consists of national (federal), state and regional levels. All together, there are approximately 35,000 public purchasing institutions. The major advantages of this extreme decentralization are higher flexibility and a strengthening of competition, especially among small and medium-sized suppliers. On the other hand, there are major reforms going on in the public purchasing system, especially connected with e-procurement. The chapter includes an overview of all major authorities involved in public procurement reform.
