Light-Touch Regime

The light-touch regime (LTR) is a reduced-procedure framework within the EU Public Procurement Directive for specific categories of services, primarily social, health, education, and certain cultural services, with a dedicated threshold of approximately EUR 750,000. Above this threshold, TED publication is required, but the full procedural requirements of the main directives are relaxed.

What is the Light-Touch Regime?

The light-touch regime recognises that services such as healthcare, social care, education, hospitality, legal services, and cultural activities have features that make the full EU competitive procedure impractical or inappropriate. Recipients of these services often have an interest in continuity of provider; quality and suitability are difficult to specify in purely technical terms; and cross-border competition is naturally limited by language, local knowledge, and proximity. In response, the EU Procurement Directive allows member states to design their own lighter national procedures for these services, provided the procedures respect transparency, non-discrimination, and equal treatment and that a notice is published on ted above the EUR 750,000 threshold.

Contracting authorities can use a prior-information-notice as the call for competition under the light-touch regime, rather than a full contract-notice. Award criteria and selection-criteria must still be published and applied consistently, and a contract award notice must be published within 30 days of award.

Why the Light-Touch Regime matters for bidders

Social care, consultancy, legal, training, and certain IT services often fall under the light-touch regime, which means the procurement is less predictable in its timetable and procedure than a standard open-procedure contract. Suppliers in these sectors should monitor ted for light-touch prior information notices as well as contract notices, since either can be the effective opening of the competition. The lighter rules also mean that award decisions in this regime are more contestable if transparency norms were not followed: suppliers that believe a direct award was made without adequate publication have standing to challenge even within the lighter framework.

FAQ

Which services fall under the light-touch regime?

The light-touch regime covers services listed in Annex XIV of the Public Procurement Directive, including health and social services, educational services, hotel and restaurant services, legal services, certain IT services, and cultural and sporting services, identified by their CPV codes.

What is the threshold for the light-touch regime?

The light-touch regime threshold is approximately EUR 750,000, which is higher than the standard goods-and-services thresholds and applies specifically to the services listed in the directive's Annex XIV.

Can member states impose stricter rules than the light-touch regime requires?

Yes. The light-touch regime sets a floor of transparency and non-discrimination, but member states are free to impose additional procedural requirements for these services in their national legislation.