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Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH

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Knorr-Bremse has pursued a single mission for almost 120 years: to make mobility on roads and railways safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Hans Stausboll (Acting Director Directorate-General for International Partnerships) and

6 May 2025 · Shaping a new Team Europe approach towards Asia and Sub- Saharan Africa in order to develop rail projects in both regions while ensuring the competitiveness of the EU’s railways industry.

Meeting with Felix Fernandez-Shaw (Director Directorate-General for International Partnerships) and

31 Mar 2025 · Shaping a new Team Europe approach towards LAC in order to increase the success rate of EU Railways industry on tenders on the region.

Response to Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives

26 Feb 2025

As a global company with operations and production sites worldwide, Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH strongly supports a level playing field that fosters healthy competition and innovation. At the same time, it recognizes the need for thoughtful regulations to address evolving global challenges. With this perspective, Knorr-Bremse welcomes the current evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives, viewing it as an opportunity to tackle sector-specific challenges and shape policies that promote both innovation and fair competition in a changing market landscape. In this evaluation, the following aspects should be considered: - Clarifying and Strengthening MEAT Principle: The MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender) principle was introduced to shift focus from "lowest price wins" to value-driven procurement. However, its implementation lacks clear guidance, such as how to balance price against other criteria. To ensure MEAT fulfills its purpose, the revised directive should prioritize factors like life cycle costs, sustainability, design, and quality, requiring these criteria to hold significant weight in evaluations. This would prevent circumvention of MEAT through disproportionately high price weightings. More precisely: MEAT shall become mandatory for public tenders and the weight of price shall be less than (or at least equal to) 50%. - Supporting the European Value Chain should be mandatory for all public procurements: It is essential to ensure that a significant proportion of value creation occurs within the EU, including for projects financed by EU funds outside the EU. More precisely: Article 85 of Directive 2014/25/EU (Utilities) shall become mandatory for public tenders. - Applying Value Chain Requirements to Subsystems: This requirement should also be applied to subsystems, such as braking systems, HVAC and doors (e.g., Level 2 systems according to DIN EN 15380-5), to promote cohesion and innovation across the entire value chain. - Extending Scope to Private Procurements: The possibility of extending the directive's provisions to certain private procurements that indirectly involve public funds, such as those by leasing companies, should be analyzed. This could help prevent circumvention of the directive and ensure a more comprehensive application of its principles. - Transitioning to a Regulation: Instead of introducing an updated directive, Knorr-Bremse suggests that it would be more efficient to transfer the Public Procurement Directives into a regulation. This would ensure uniform application across all member states, reducing inconsistencies and improving efficiency in procurement processes. - Allowing alternative offers: Many public tenders are highly detailed, which can limit the range of innovative solutions offered. Knorr-Bremse proposes enabling alternative bids to encourage innovation and allow greater flexibility in responding to public procurement opportunities.
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Meeting with Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Commissioner) and

17 Feb 2025 · Exchange of views with UNIFE CEOs on the margins of the 18th European Railway award event

Meeting with Valdis Dombrovskis (Executive Vice-President)

23 Sept 2023 · Visit of the Knorr-Bremse Systeme fuer Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH in the framework of the mission to China