Recital 121

(121)The evaluation has shown that there is still considerable room for improvement in the application of the Union public procurement rules. With a view to a more efficient and consistent application of the rules, it is essential to get a good overview on possible structural problems and general patterns in national procurement policies, in order to address possible problems in a more targeted way. That overview should be gained through appropriate monitoring, the results of which should be regularly published, in order to allow an informed debate on possible improvements of procurement rules and practice. Acquiring such a good overview could also allow insights on the application of public procurement rules in the context of the implementation of projects co-financed by the Union. Member States should remain free to decide how and by whom this monitoring should be carried out in practice; in so doing, they should also remain free to decide whether the monitoring should be based on a sample-based ex-post control or on a systematic, ex-ante control of public procurement procedures covered by this Directive. It should be possible to bring potential problems to the attention of the proper bodies; this should not necessarily require that those having performed the monitoring have standing before courts and tribunals.