Vacant PhD scholarship in public procurement law at the Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) hereby announces a fully funded PhD position (3 years) in public procurement lawto commence primo 2022. The position is part of a broader research project funded by DFF (Sapere Aude – DFF-Starting-Grant).   

The PhD position can commence in February 2022. The start date is negotiable.  

About the PhD project
A major, important and growing player in public purchasing are central purchasing bodies (CPBs) who conduct procurement procedures on behalf of other contracting authorities. Procurement centralisation is no longer an emerging practice, but the way in which most public procurement − and potentially even large-scale cross-border procurement − will be carried out in the future. It is essential that the legal framework for operating and using CPBs is clear in order to safeguard that agreements are created in accordance with the aim of the procurement rules: to create equal access and competition for public contracts. The PhD project will investigate and analyse whether CPBs' agreements ensure this aim as well as find new ways of creating competitive and flexible agreements.

The PhD project could potentially explore how agreements are established by CPBs and could include some of the following research questions:

• How can competition and equal treatment be ensured in framework agreements?
• How can agreements be created to take into account the participation of SMEs?
• How precise should the estimate of a framework agreement be and what are the consequences of a wrongful estimate?
• How can environmental and social considerations be taken into account in public contracts?
• When is it possible to make modification to a framework agreement?

Other research questions could also be relevant.

The overall research project
The overall research project relates to central purchasing bodies, who conduct procurement procedures on behalf of other contracting authorities. Such large scale contracts can lead to better prices and quality for contracting authorities and ultimately for the tax payers. The research project seeks to clarify the public procurement rules and analyze how competition can be ensured in the specific agreements as well as in the market. The project will explore the rules in 4 work packages looking at different angles and perspectives to CPBs (WP1: CPB perspective, WP 2: Undertaking and market perspective, WP 3: User perspective, WP 4: Parallel framework agreements).

The research project is headed by associate professor Carina Risvig Hamer (PI). More information can be found here: https://jura.ku.dk/ciir/english/research/safeguarding-competition-and-equal-access-to-central-purchasing-bodies-agreements/

The PhD Programme
The PhD will be part of the wider PhD programme offered by the Faculty of Law. The goal of the PhD programme is threefold: to prepare candidates for a continuing career in teaching and research; to educate a new generation of scholars to produce high-quality independent research; and to equip them with the analytical and problem-solving skills required for a successful career in both the public and private sectors.   

The Faculty of Law offers supervision by highly qualified academics and provides an excellent opportunity to research contemporary legal issues in an intellectually stimulating environment. 

Successful PhD candidates are required to:  

• Actively engage in the research environment at UCPH; participate in international conferences, courses and meetings relevant to their research project; 
• Comply with the formal requirements of the PhD programme ;
• Contribute to teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses in Danish or English offered by the Faculty of Law 
• Conduct independent and high quality research under the supervision of a senior member of academic staff at the Faculty.

Qualifications  

• Applicants must have obtained a degree that corresponds to the Danish Master of Laws, Master of Science in Business Administration and Commercial Laws or equivalent qualifications. Please visit studyindenmark.dk for more information. Applicants must have obtained a minimum overall grade average of 8.2 or above at the Master’s level in accordance with the Danish grading scale (for Danish scale, please see here ).
• Applicants may submit their application before they have completed their Master’s Degree. In that case, they must have submitted their final thesis before 1 February 2022.
• Applicants must document an aptitude for research through the meritorious assessment of their final thesis, publications or academic recommendations in order to show that they are capable of undertaking the demanding task of writing a PhD thesis.
• Applicants must have excellent language skills in English and have excellent communications skills. Applicants must be able to teach at an academic level in Danish or English and to follow PhD courses in English.

Application procedure
Click ’Apply now’ below to be taken to the online application form.  

We advise you to have the following documents ready before you begin your online application:  

• Research project proposal: This should include the following: (1) objective(s) of the research, (2) major research questions, (3) review of relevant literature, (4) methodology to be applied in the research, and (5) a timetable that plans for all course requirements to have been met within three years. The project description must elaborate on the value of the proposed research project in terms of its relevance to existing and future research in the field. The project proposal must not exceed 6 standard pages, corresponding to approx. 12,000 characters (including curriculum, title, punctuation, figures, footnotes and references, but excluding bibliography) A substantial breach of this will result in the application being excluded from consideration.
• Curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages).
• Diplomas and transcripts: Certified copies of original diploma(s) and transcripts (both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree) in the original language and an authorized English translation if they are issued in other language than English or Danish.
• Grading scale: A certified explanation of grading scale in the original language and an authorized English translation if it is available in another language than English or Danish.
• Letter of motivation: Explain the choice of the Faculty of Law at UCPH as a host institution for the proposed project and outline how the project fits within the research priorities at the Faculty (maximum 1 page).
• Documentation of English level: Documentation of English level can for instance be documented by an excellent IELTS or TOEFL test.

Submit your application electronically in English.

UCPH wishes to reflect the surrounding society and therefore encourages all interested parties regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

Recruitment process  
Following the application deadline, the Associate Dean of Research will pre-select PhD applications that will proceed to the assessment stage upon the recommendation of the Selection Committee. Applicants are pre-selected for further assessment in line with the Faculty’s recruitment needs as described in this job advertisement. This is carried out based on the overall assessment of the applicant’s educational qualifications, the quality of the submitted research proposal and its relevance to the Faculty’s research agenda, and other relevant qualifications (e.g. relevant professional experience, any previous academic publications etc.). All applicants are then notified by the HR Centre as to whether their application has proceeded to the assessment stage. The assessment is carried out by an expert assessment committee. Selected applicants will be notified of the composition of the assessment committee. When the committee has completed its assessment, each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the assessment. A number of qualified applicants will be invited for an interview.

Terms of employment
Successful candidates will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the Ministry of Finance concerning the salary of PhD students. If you are offered a PhD position, you will receive a regular monthly salary in accordance with Danish law and you will be entitled to an annual research budget. The Faculty does not provide accommodation.

Additional Information
For questions regarding the research project, please contact associate professor Carina Risvig Hamer, email: [email protected]

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from Dorthea Andersen, HR, e-mail: [email protected], please refer to ID number: 211-0930/21-2H #1

Closing date for applications
The closing date for applications is 15 November 2021, 23:59 GMT+1. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Likewise incomplete applications (i.e. without all required documents) will be rejected.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.