Bureaucracy as a hindrance

Before the special committee of the state parliament on reducing bureaucracy, the skilled trades called on politicians to finally remove bureaucratic hurdles.

This article is part of the special feature on bureaucratic madness in the skilled trades.

For years, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Brandenburg have been suffering from rampant bureaucracy . This bureaucracy has been created by a plethora of regulations that are often completely out of touch with reality and cost businesses considerable time and money. A special committee of the state parliament is now tasked with reducing this red tape . Representatives of Brandenburg's skilled trades were recently invited to the special committee to discuss with the parliamentary experts and the Minister of Economic Affairs, Daniel Keller, where businesses hope to see a swift streamlining of the existing regulations.

Ralph Bührig, Managing Director of the Potsdam Chamber of Skilled Crafts , reported that bureaucracy is "the number one obstacle for young people" to becoming self-employed. He cited a survey of skilled tradespeople currently undertaking master craftsman training. "These people tell us: 'We don't want to sit at a desk; we want to practice our craft,'" said Bührig. This attitude is more than understandable, given that the average craft business in Brandenburg has around four employees – including the master craftsman. Although the companies are very small, the master craftsmen have considerable documentation, verification, and reporting obligations to fulfill , which must be completed in addition to their actual work and often push management to their limits.

More efficient procurement: Craftsmen demand reforms

The hearing also included the voices of practitioners from craft businesses. Christian Lau, master plumber and head of the Uckermark district craft association, voiced his frustration. He explained that securing a public contract requires filling out ten to fifteen forms . For every business that ultimately misses out, this is a wasted effort. It would be far more efficient if, in the future, the winning company could submit the forms afterward. Furthermore, he argued that the principle of always accepting the lowest bidder should be abandoned.

Lau: " That a roof batten doesn't cost ten cents, but ten euros – and that there will be additional charges – is perfectly clear beforehand ." At this point, master painter Sven Thielicke from Ludwigsfelde, who is also the district master craftsman of the Teltow-Fläming district craft association, added: " The cheapest provider does shoddy work, and then other colleagues – like my employees, for example – have to come and fix it ." Thielicke recommends the Swiss model instead: The cheapest and the most expensive providers are eliminated, and the contract is awarded to the company that comes closest to the calculated average price.

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Economy Minister Keller promised to "simplify, accelerate, and reduce the bureaucracy" of direct public procurement . To this end, the threshold values ​​will be raised. Only above these thresholds will a tendering procedure be required. For construction, supply, and service contracts, the threshold per contract value will be increased from the current €1.000 to €100.000.

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