Vergaberecht als Digitalisierungsfolgenrecht

Abstract

Abstract The State bears a certain responsibility for the consequences of digitalizing public administration and services. The principles of democracy and the rule of law demand that the state retains effective control over the digitalized performance of ist tasks. This “digital responsibility” of the State also has an impact on the application of public procurement rules governing the procurement of information technologies and services (IT). On the one hand, ensuring digital responsibility will often mean that the contracting authority needs a broad margin of appreciation when interpreting the rules of procurementlaw – for examplewith regard to the legal requirements for choosing special procurement procedures enabling a particulary flexible IT procurement. On the other hand, the contracting authority’s digital responsibility can also be turned against it: When involving, for instance, private parties in the preparation of substantial decisions concerning the procurement of IT, the authority must keep itself well informed and may not simply take over prepared decisions. This way, the digital responsibility of the State can be (and should be) used as a distinct legal argument under public procurement law.