Dr. Franz Josef Hölzl, LL.M.

Expertise

Franz Josef is an expert in German and European public procurement law. He has advised on all legal aspects of public procurement, particularly on technology- and service-related procurement projects. He has advised and represented both contracting authorities and bidders in numerous public procedures. This has also included representation in contentious proceedings and court cases. Franz Josef's practice also covers procurement issues that arise from M&A transactions and financing structures, as well as from amendments to ongoing contracts and general compliance issues.

Market knowledge

During his longstanding practice and specialization, Franz Josef has collected extensive knowledge of the public procurement market. As an experienced lawyer in procurement litigation, he also has outstanding knowledge of the practice of review bodies and courts. He knows many relevant decision-makers and regulators in the public procurement arena personally. Franz Josef is most familiar with all facets of public procurement, and can help you to achieve all of your procurement objectives.

He advises companies on the basis of his excellent contacts to national and European decision makers also in relation to legislative procedures of German and European bodies. This allows to anticipate and possibly influence the development of public procurment law.

Vita

From 2004 to 2013, Franz Josef practised public procurement law at an international law firm with one of the most renowned procurement practices in Germany. He was involved in many public procurement and review procedures that were landmark cases in the public procurement sector. Franz Josef studied law and economics at the universities of Gießen and Göttingen. He holds a Ph.D. in law from Göttingen University. Franz Josef was a fellow of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), and worked as an assistant both at the Max-Planck-Institute in Frankfurt, and the public procurement research group of Professor Sue Arrowsmith at the University of Nottingham. He was also a lecturer at the University of Nottingham, and received a Master of Law (LL.M.) in environmental, planning and regulatory law. Since 2009, he has taught public procurement law at the Free University of Berlin.

Franz Josef speaks German and English.

Publications

Franz Josef has been widely published on all relevant issues of public procurement law. He is, among others, a co-author of one of the leading commentaries on German and EU public procurement and competition law, and a commentary on the German regulation of public supplies and services (VOL/A). He regularly reviews new case law and publications in various journals on public procurement law (NZBau, NVwZ, Zeitschrift Vergaberecht, VPR, publication letters of forum vergabe e.V., IBR-online).

Speeches and trainings

Franz Josef speaks regularly at conferences, business association seminars, and in-house trainings. He gives presentations on all subjects of German and EU public procurement and public price law, in particular on establishing and maintaining compliance in public procurement law and to public pricing law. Franz Josef is a regular speaker at forum vergabe e.V., IBR-Online, and at the European Academy of Berlin.

Lectures

Since 2009, Franz Josef has been teaching German and EU public procurement law at the Free University of Berlin.