The Federal Budget Code requires that the principles of Wirtschaftlichkeit und Sparsamkeit, economy and thrift, be observed when the budget is drawn up and carried out. It adds: “Für alle finanzwirksamen Maßnahmen sind angemessene Wirtschaftlichkeitsuntersuchungen durchzuführen.” Every measure that costs money needs an appropriate study of its economy.
A 2024 paper of the Bundestag’s research service names choices that such a study compares: renting or buying, doing a task with the agency’s own staff or with outside providers. Aspects that cannot be expressed in money must also be considered.