Article 4Principles of procurement

1.Procurement shall be guided by the principle of best quality for public money, thereby serving the objective of efficient public spending and investment.

2.Public buyers shall treat economic operators originating from the Union and economic operators which are covered economic operators in accordance with Article 70(1) equally and without discrimination, giving full effect to the free movement of persons, goods and services and the freedom of establishment in the Union's internal market. They shall act in a transparent and proportionate manner.

3.Public buyers shall take appropriate measures to ensure the integrity of the procurement process and to prevent circumstances that may compromise its impartiality and fairness. Public buyers shall not design their procurement in such a way as to exclude it from the scope of this Regulation or to unduly restrict competition.

4.Public buyers shall take appropriate measures to ensure that, in the performance of public contracts, economic operators comply with applicable obligations relating to the policy objectives set out in Article 5, including applicable obligations in the fields of environmental, social and labour law as established by Union law, national law, collective agreements, or by the international environmental, social and labour law conventions listed in Annex II.