City of Duisburg awards framework contracts for mail-in voting services, advised by HEUKING

At the end of April, the City of Duisburg, represented by its Elections Department, successfully concluded a Europe-wide procurement procedure for the award of framework agreements related to mail-in voting. A HEUKING team led by Dr. Laurence Westen, Partner at the firm’s Düsseldorf office, advised the City of Duisburg throughout the procedure.

The scope of the award procedure, valid through 2029, covers printing, processing, and enveloping of mail-in and other election-related documents (Lot 1) as well as mail delivery services for all elections and referendums held in Duisburg during the contract period (Lot 2).

In response to the steadily growing number of mail-in voters and the overlap of multiple elections, the City of Duisburg has opted to engage external service providers to ensure a smooth and efficient mail-in voting process.

A HEUKING team led by Dr. Laurence Westen supported the City of Duisburg’s Elections Department in implementing the procurement procedure, including the drafting of the award documents and framework agreements.

Counsel to City of Duisburg
HEUKING:
Dr. Laurence Westen (Lead, Public Sector & Public Procurement)
Mike Steffen (Public Sector & Public Procurement)
Julian Groenick (Public Sector & Public Procurement), all Düsseldorf

HEUKING’s "Public Sector & Public Procurement" department has been a recognized market leader in public procurement law for many years. Its lawyers consistently hold top spots in German and international lawyer rankings. Since 1991, they have been advising on awards, restructuring, large-scale projects, and cooperations in the public sector. They have advised on several hundred large-scale projects for federal, state, and local authorities and their subsidiaries with a total volume in excess of EUR 40 billion, without any procedure having been successfully challenged to date.

Dr. Laurence Westen has been practicing law since 2013 and has served as a Partner in HEUKING’s “Public Sector & Public Procurement” practice since 2020. His focus lies on advising public-sector clients on complex procurement procedures, particularly for large-scale projects, and in defending against procurement review challenges. He also supports contracting authorities in designing and managing both national and EU-wide invitations to bids. Additionally, Dr. Westen advises companies on remedying deficiencies in procurement and purchasing procedures, including technology acquisition.