Government & Public Sector

Our expertise

PwC Legal has extensive expertise in providing legal guidance to the public sector. We assist ministries, executive agencies, provinces, municipalities, water authorities and public enterprises across the broad spectrum of administrative law and European law issues they face. 

The public sector finds itself in a paradoxical situation. On the one hand, there is a growing call for deregulation, burden reduction and simpler rules. The government is committed to eliminating superfluous regulations and reducing administrative burdens for citizens and businesses. On the other hand, the tasks and responsibilities of government are rapidly increasing. The Draghi report and Competitiveness Compass advocate for substantial public investments in energy, digitalisation, defence and strategic industry. The Wennink report underscores the need for an activist government that invests heavily in innovation and knowledge development. 

This dual movement – more tasks and fewer rules – presents governments with unprecedented challenges. The legal frameworks are not becoming simpler, but rather more complex and multi-layered. European regulations, national legislation, decentralised regulations and policy rules all interconnect. At the same time, society demands faster procedures, greater transparency and better legal protection. PwC Legal guides public organisations in navigating this field of tension. 

On the other hand, we see that companies need to deal more and more with governmental organizations. Given the enormous transitional challenges we see, governments and companies need to cooperate more intensely. We help companies to understand how to deal with governments.  

What we do for you

PwC Legal guides governments from A to Z on complex legal issues and help to engineer the most effective instrument a government can use (like public financing, regulation or permitting). Through our legal project management approach, we can take charge of the entire (legal) process: from initial analysis and strategy determination through to implementation, execution and evaluation. We help governments to make strategic and tactical choices. In our analysis we also look at possible consequence for the organization and how to manage risks. We can act as legal director, bringing together all components of a project, monitoring progress and bringing it to a successful conclusion. 

In practical terms, this means we do not just advise, but also organize. We assemble project teams, define milestones, monitor deadlines and ensure coordination between all parties involved – both internal and external. For example, in large-scale processes, complex permit procedures or major procurements, we provide the structure and oversight needed to manage legal risks and reduce lead times. 

Our legal project managers combine in-depth legal knowledge with proven project management skills. They speak the language of policymakers, lawyers and implementers alike and know the political playing field. This enables them to bridge the gap between legal complexity and administrative decisiveness. 

In addition, we can act as an trusted advisor, as well as seconded help in-house to complex projects. Our legal counsels have worked on-site within ministries, executive agencies and other public organisations, where they become an integral part of the team. This enables us to provide direct, hands-on legal support exactly where it is needed most. Whether it concerns procurements, the drafting of subsidy schemes, the development of new policies in areas such as innovation, or other complex processes, our seconded lawyers bring the same expertise and quality as our advisory practice, combined with the flexibility and proximity that in-house presence offers. 

Contact us for a no-obligation initial conversation