The European Union is transforming green public procurement into a powerful instrument of industrial policy.
With the introduction of “Made in Europe” rules and decisive non-price criteria, the era when price alone determined public contracts is over.
For industrial players, the challenge is no longer just to be competitive, but to be eligible for public tenders.
Public procurement as a lever of industrial sovereignty
The Clean Industrial Deal and the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act mark a major strategic shift.
Public purchasing is no longer merely an environmental or compliance tool; it has become an explicit driver of European reindustrialisation.
The European Union now imposes minimum local-content thresholds for strategic technologies such as batteries, solar, wind power and energy networks.
These rules fundamentally reshape access conditions to B2G markets.
This is not an additional administrative burden, but a deliberately constructed barrier to entry.
Non-price criteria—CO₂ impact, resilience, circularity and cybersecurity—are no longer bonuses, but hard exclusion filters.
Industrial players likely to exit the B2G game
Believing that a historical footprint in Europe is enough to remain eligible is a strategic mistake.
Several industrial profiles are at risk of progressive exclusion from public procurement markets in the coming years.
- Front-end assembly players unable to demonstrate real European origin and value added for critical components
- Data greenwashers claiming “green” credentials without standardized, verifiable and immediately usable CO₂ data
- Portfolios dependent on single sourcing outside the European Union, with no contractual resilience or secured supply
- Tech-centric players focused solely on technical performance and price, ignoring the political and sovereign dimension of public purchasing
In this new framework, technological excellence alone no longer protects against ineligibility.
Structuring the portfolio to become “tender-ready”
Staying in the game does not require full reshoring, but a smart optimisation of the Made in Europe score and extra-financial performance.
This implies a clear structuring of the portfolio into distinct and intentional product lines.
Made in Europe equipment
Solutions integrating batteries, BMS, power electronics or transformers manufactured within the European Union, with certified origin traceability.
Low-carbon and decarbonised offers
Products designed with low-CO₂ materials and delivering native life-cycle assessment data that can be directly used in public tenders.
This is where differentiation happens in large infrastructure projects.
Resilience and sovereignty solutions
Offers guaranteeing supply continuity, local maintenance and reinforced cybersecurity, aligned with the expectations of states and critical operators.
Roadmap decisions with immediate impact
Portfolio transformation must translate into concrete and visible operational choices.
- Creation of public-procurement-specific versions, calibrated for tenders with higher EU content and a ready-to-use documentation pack
- Development of industrial sourcing alliances to secure EU-sourced critical components without fully internalising production
These decisions directly determine future eligibility.
Real-world arbitration in public tenders
In a recent energy infrastructure tender, two proposals were technically equivalent and close in price.
The final decision hinged on the bidder’s ability to provide verifiable CO₂ data and a documented supply-continuity plan.
Public buyers are no longer looking for the lowest bid.
They are looking for the least politically and industrially risky offer.
Rethinking industrial footprint and the B2G narrative
European requirements will continue to intensify.
Local assembly under tight timelines, a growing share of key components produced within the EU, and stricter documentation standards are becoming the norm.
Industrial players must identify which product lines justify strategic relocation—final assembly or critical modules—to maximise eligibility scores.
The B2G narrative must fundamentally evolve.
Selling specifications is no longer enough. The value proposition must revolve around a clear triad: CO₂ performance, European origin and supply resilience.
Portfolios should be presented in terms of local jobs, climate performance and guaranteed delivery timelines.
Conclusion – Are you competitive, or are you eligible?
In the years ahead, green public procurement will not reward the cheapest products, but the portfolios most closely aligned with European industrial objectives.
The question is intentionally blunt: if a European local-content requirement suddenly became mandatory in your segment, how much of your B2G revenue would disappear overnight?
The adaptation phase has already begun.
Tomorrow’s eligibility is being built today, through sourcing choices and portfolio structuring.
