Digital public procurement: priority to the industry, a welcome clarification to be put into practice

Numeum and the Comité Stratégique de Filière “Logiciels et Solutions Numériques de Confiance”
welcome the publication by the French government of a new circular on
public digital ordering. With this circular, the French government recognizes that ” the purchase of
digital solutions from the private ecosystem is a lever for economic development and contributes to the
strengthening of national and European sovereignty “.

In this context, the government is clarifying the approach that should guide public-sector buyers
in meeting their digital service needs: while public-sector players can use the
shared solutions already developed by the administration, it is now
clearly stated that when these solutions are not available or do not meet the need,
public-sector buyers must give priority to solutions offered by the
private sector.

Against a backdrop of heated debate about ” make or buy “, this clarification is a welcome development. It
provides the digital industry with a clearer vision of the intentions of the public authorities
, and gives the latter a coherent vision for transforming the
public sector and supporting the development of the French and European
digital industry.

The joint mobilization of Numeum and the Comité stratégique de filière Logiciels et Solutions
numérique de confiance has made it possible to establish a dialogue of trust with the public authorities and
to converge towards a shared vision of public procurement as a lever for
economic development and resilience. This circular is the first step towards a
transparent relationship and a sustainable win-win partnership between the French government and the
digital sector.

Now is the time to turn this vision into reality. We need to ensure that the principles
laid down in this circular are put into practice, and that they actually change
purchasing practices. In this respect, the organization on March 27, 2026 at Bercy of a national
cooperation (matchmaking) meeting between public administrations and publishers of collaborative solutions
complete, launched by DINUM, the DGE, Numeum and the CSF, is a decisive first step.

In addition, a number of decisive points for public procurement still need to be clarified:

• Concerning digital public procurement in general: it is necessary to quantify the
  volumes of government purchases for the digital sector, and to set growth targets for the coming years via
  . In addition, public authorities must
  be able to present a clear vision of their medium- to long-term needs, so that the
  digital sector can already position itself.
• On the use of “off-the-shelf solutions”: it is now up to the public authorities
  to work with the digital industry to define the terms and conditions for using these solutions,
  particularly with regard to the development of the “Digital Suite”.
• In terms of public procurement by other public-sector players, the same ambitions apply to
  the needs of local authorities (by clarifying the role of the private sector with regard to
  la Suite territoriale implemented by ANCT) and healthcare players.

Numeum and the Comité Stratégique de Filière Logiciels et Solutions Numériques de Confiance
reaffirm their commitment to pursuing a constructive and demanding dialogue with the
public authorities, and to moving forward together on these various projects to serve the
modernization of the State and the development of the digital industry. Making a success of the collective
public-private game is one of the top priorities for the French Digital Team.

Media contacts :

Numeum: Clément Emine (cemine@numeum.fr)

CSF Software and Trusted Digital Solutions: Julia Mouzon (julia.mouzon@numeriquedeconfiance.fr)