The Public Procurement Law Association (PPLA) and the Chair of European Law at the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Law and Administration invite you to the international conference:

“Local content in public procurement – policy, law and practice in focus”

During this event, Polish and international experts, along with key stakeholders, will discuss access for contractors from third countries to EU public procurement markets, as well as the concept of promoting so-called “local content” in European and Polish public procurement. The conference is co-organized in partnership with Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) and Ørsted.

The discussion aims to clarify key concepts, challenge common misconceptions related to both topics, define the relevant legal frameworks, explore current policies, and examine their potential practical impact.

AGENDA

9:15–9:30 – Registration
9:30–9:45 – Conference Opening: Prof Anna Zawidzka-Łojek (Head of the Department of European Law, University of Warsaw) and Aldona Kowalczyk (Chairman of the PPLA Board and Partner at 4k Legal)

9:45–10:00 – Keynote Speech:
What does “local content” actually mean, and how can the definition of this term influence the way we think about its implementation and practical impact?
Speaker: Prof Geo Quinot (Professor of Law and Head of Department in the Department of Public Law, Stellenbosch University, as well as Founding Director of the African Procurement Law Unit)

10:00–11:00 – Legal Framework Governing Foreign Contractors’ Access to Public Procurement Markets and the Differentiated Treatment of “Local” Contractors
Moderator: Dr Aleksandra Sołtysińska (Department of European Law, Faculty of Law and Administration, Jagiellonian University; Judge at the Regional Court in Kraków)
Panelists: Prof Piotr Bogdanowicz (Board Member at PPLA, Counsel at Clifford Chance and Professor at the Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw), Dr Wojciech Hartung (Audit Committee Member at PPLA and Counsel at Domański Zakrzewski Palinka), Sarah Schoenmaekers (S.L.T.) (Professor of European Union Economic Law at Maastricht University, Honorary Professor of EU Law at the Open University, and Professor of Construction Law at Hasselt University), Marko Turudić (Associate Professor at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Law)

11:00–12:00 – Practical Implementation of “Local Content” Policies – Challenges and Potential Impact on Large-Scale Infrastructure and Energy Projects
Moderator: Katarzyna Kuźma (Vice-chairman of the PPLA Board, Partner at Domański Zakrzewski Palinka)
Panelists: Dr Filip Czernicki (President of the Management Board of CPK), Magdalena Dankowska (Project Procurement Director, Ørsted), Marta Kosacz-Sobotka (Vice President, Director of the Contract Division, NDI), Mirella Lechna-Marchewka (Audit Committee Member at PPLA and Partner at Wardyński & Partners), Dr Marcin Orecki (Contract & Claim Manager, Gulermak Group)

12:00–13:00 – Lunch

13:00–14:00 – Promoting “Local Content” – Short- and Long-Term Economic Perspectives
Moderator: Dr Jarosław Kola (PPLA Member and Counsel at WKB Lawyers, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law and Administration, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań)
Panelists: Dr Krzysztof Błędowski (Department of Economics and Finance, University of Information Technology and Management), Dr Adam Juszczak (Advisor in the Climate and Energy Department at the Polish Economic Institute), Piotr Piela (Vice President of the Management Board of PEJ), Prof Adam Noga (Department of Economics, Kozminski University).

14:00–14:15 – Q&A session

14:15–14:30 – Conference Summary

Date and place: 24 October 2025 | 9:15–14:30
Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw (Collegium Iuridicum II), Lipowa 4, room A.2

The event will bring together international and Polish academics and public procurement practitioners, as well as key stakeholders. The introductory speech and the first panel of the conference will be conducted in English with simultaneous translation into Polish. We will provide simultaneous translation from Polish into English for the remainder of the conference.

Please register via the form available here.