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    Pro meter publication · 2026

    Metering station tenders in 2026: Europe moves away from the lowest price

    On 9 September 2026 the European Commission tabled the proposed Public Procurement Act: the best price-quality ratio is to become the main method for choosing the winner. Latvian law already allows this choice today — provided the technical specification gives grounds for it.

    In this article:

    • why a specification written as an equipment list turns a tender into a price auction;
    • why every technical requirement needs a written engineering justification;
    • three decisions to make before the budget is approved;
    • a reverse schedule — from the commissioning date of the metering station back to today;
    • five autumn planning mistakes.
    Metering station tender → Contact Pro meter

    The 2026 turn: quality becomes the rule

    On 9 September 2026 the European Commission tabled the proposed Public Procurement Act. It is a regulation intended to replace the three 2014 procurement directives: general procurement, procurement in the energy, water and transport sectors, and concessions. The regulation will apply directly in all EU member states, without transposition into national law.

    The key point for our industry: the best price-quality ratio becomes the main method for choosing the winner.

    30%

    As a rule, at least this share of the evaluation must go to quality: through award criteria, specification requirements or contract performance conditions.

    For now this is a proposal. It still has to be agreed and adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. But the direction is set: Europe itself acknowledges that the lowest price should not decide everything.

    What Latvian law already allows

    There is no need to wait for the new regulation. The Public Procurement Law (Sections 51–52) and the Law on Procurement of Public Service Providers (Sections 57–58) allow the contracting authority to choose the most economically advantageous tender — based on price or cost and on quality criteria linked to the subject of the contract. The procurement documents list all criteria in order of importance, their weights and the selection algorithm.

    The trap is in the technical specification

    The Procurement Monitoring Bureau explains: if the technical specification is detailed and other criteria are not essential, the contracting authority may evaluate on price alone. A specification written as an equipment list turns the tender into a price auction. A specification that describes the expected measurement result and how it is to be demonstrated gives grounds for quality criteria.

    The second requirement of the law: the specification gives all tenderers equal opportunities and does not refer to brands, patents or a specific origin. That is why a requirement for a metering station is justified by the measurement result — accuracy, traceability, verification — and not by a manufacturer's name.

    2026: why justification is protection

    In March 2026 the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) carried out an operation in Latvia in a case concerning the procurement of IT systems for state institutions: searches were conducted and suspects detained. On 22 July 2026 the EPPO, supported by KNAB, carried out searches at two hospitals; according to the investigators, the technical specification was prepared for a pre-selected bidder. On 24 September 2026 the Saeima adopted in final reading amendments to the Criminal Law introducing criminal liability for collusion in public procurement. All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court.

    For the client of a metering station the conclusion is calm and practical. Every technical requirement of the tender must have a written engineering justification: why it is needed and which measurement result it affects. Such a justification protects the client, the tender committee and the honest bidder. A requirement without justification looks like a requirement written “for a supplier” — even when it is not.

    Three decisions before the budget is approved

    1. Budget the whole metering station

    The supplier offers a measuring system, and the client often budgets for that alone. But the measuring system is only the metrologically certified part of the metering station. Process piping, auxiliary equipment, operating conditions, personnel and documentation are left without a budget and without a responsible party. More on the difference — on the Metering station tender page.

    2. TCO instead of a single CAPEX line

    The budget covers the total cost of ownership: design, supply, installation and commissioning, initial verification and calibration, FAT and SAT, staff training, service and metrological maintenance. The risks of downtime, rework and redesign are assessed separately. Such a budget gives the committee grounds to compare tenders on more than price.

    3. A separate line for metrology

    Initial verification of the system, type approval, traceability to the national standard and maintenance between verifications are not “contractor overheads”. If there is no line for them in the budget, the metrology section disappears from the specification — and with it the quality criterion for the result.

    Reverse schedule: from commissioning date back to today

    The tender timeline is counted backwards from the desired date of commercial operation of the metering station. The client confirms each date in this chain with whoever is responsible for it — before the tender is announced.

    1. Start of commercial operationThe date from which the whole plan is built.
    2. Initial verification and type approvalTimelines and procedure — with the laboratory and the national authority. Ask them in advance.
    3. Supply, factory testing, installationManufacturing time and FAT — with the manufacturer, at the pre-design stage.
    4. TenderAt least 4–6 weeks to prepare tenders for the measuring system, followed by evaluation and a technical interview.
    5. Specification, feasibility study, metrology packageReady before the announcement: the specification describes the result, not a list of equipment.
    6. Today — the budgetThe decisions from the previous section are fixed in next year's budget.

    The client's team

    • The lead engineer prepares the technical input data. At the specification stage he is not shown the contract value: technical decisions are made on their merits, not to fit a budget.
    • A metrologist on the tender committee. Without one, the metrology section is evaluated by people who are not responsible for the measurement result.
    • One official channel for questions and answers. Clarifications go to all tenderers at the same time and in writing. An oral agreement without minutes does not exist.
    • Written justification of requirements. For every essential requirement of the specification — its link to the measurement result. This is both an engineering document and protection for the committee.

    Five autumn planning mistakes

    1. Budget only for the measuring system. The rest of the metering station is left without money and without a responsible party.
    2. The laboratory is not consulted. Verification and type-approval requirements emerge after the tender — and become a time and cost risk for all parties.
    3. The specification is an equipment list. Such a specification allows evaluation on price alone and gives no quality criterion for the result.
    4. Too short a period for submitting tenders. Less than 4–6 weeks — and serious bidders either cannot make it or submit a tender without proper study.
    5. Metrology “left to the contractor”. Without a metrologist on the committee and without a metrology section in the specification, the client learns of problems at acceptance, at audit or in arbitration.

    All five mistakes are made in autumn — in the budget and in the specification. They cannot be corrected during the tender: the competition rules are the same for everyone and do not change after the announcement.

    Where Pro meter helps

    • analysis of the client's input data: process flow diagram, operating conditions, products and modes;
    • specification review: achievability of the accuracy requirements, completeness of metrology, acceptance and documentation requirements;
    • feasibility study and metrology section — for the budget and the tender documents;
    • on request — technical and metrological analysis of tenders for the tender committee.

    The method for preparing a metering station tender is on the Metering station tender page. Write briefly: industry, project stage, tender deadline. Contact Pro meter

    Sources

    This publication reflects Pro meter's practice-based recommendations and is not legal advice. The proposed Public Procurement Act may change during the legislative process. In your work, apply the regulatory framework in force and check the current versions of all documents.

    Cooperation and co-authorship

    Pro meter is open to joint work with universities, laboratories, engineers and students. It is built on engineering and scientific ideas proven on operating measurement stations.

    What the ideas are suited for

    • development in a PhD, master’s or research project;
    • proposals for amendments to OIML, ISO and GOST standards;
    • implementation in industry standards and in-house company solutions.

    Ways to work together

    • transfer, joint development or sale of an idea;
    • co-authorship, scientific supervision, consulting;
    • joint work with researchers, students, engineers and start-ups.

    Topics we propose

    • Methods for verifying the accuracy and reliability of oil and gas metering systems
    • Material balance audit
    • Custody transfer measurement station audit
    • Risk forecasting and how to avoid risks
    • Other topics — on request

    Discuss a topic

    Write to us — we will send a questionnaire and suggest a format of cooperation. Some ideas have patent potential; work under a contract is possible.

    Write to Pro meter

    Publications

    Pro meter articles and materials on metrology in the oil and gas industry, custody transfer and Legal Shield — newest first.

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