public procurement regulation

The public procurement regulation (anskaffelsesforskriften) is the detailed Norwegian regulation governing how public authorities must carry out procurements. It supplements Norway's Public Procurement Act (anskaffelsesloven) with concrete procedural rules — from how a competition must be advertised to which deadlines apply. The regulation implements EU Directive 2014/24/EU into Norwegian law, ensuring alignment with EEA obligations.

How is the regulation structured?

The regulation is divided into six parts, where threshold values determine which part applies to a given procurement:

• Part I (general provisions) applies to all procurements above NOK 100,000. It covers scope, exemptions, definitions, and fundamental principles such as equal treatment and competition.
• Part II applies to procurements between the national threshold of NOK 1.3 million and the EEA thresholds. This part contains simplified procedural rules tailored to the Norwegian market.
• Part III applies to procurements above the EEA thresholds (e.g., NOK 1.49 million for central government goods and services contracts, NOK 57.9 million for works contracts). This part imposes the strictest procedural requirements, and procurements must also be published on TED.
• Part IV covers health and social services with dedicated rules.
• Parts V and VI deal with design contests and final provisions.

Relationship to the Public Procurement Act

In Norway, the Public Procurement Act is a framework law that establishes objectives, fundamental principles, and enforcement rules. The public procurement regulation provides the detailed procedural rules — think of the Act as the framework and the regulation as the instruction manual. The regulation also transposes EU Directive 2014/24/EU, ensuring that Norwegian rules align with EEA commitments.

Tools like Cobrief can help suppliers understand which part of the regulation applies to a specific tender procedure and keep track of contract notices across different procedures.

The public procurement regulation is therefore the practical instrument for anyone involved in public procurement in Norway — whether you are a contracting authority running a competition or a supplier preparing a tender. Understanding its structure makes it easier to know which rules govern your particular procurement.