The 2024 Procura+ Conference, taking place on 13 & 14 March in Lisbon, will open with a keynote speech by Katrin Stjernfeld Jammeh, Mayor of Malmö, and Chair of ICLEI’s Procura+ network. Mayor Jammeh will highlight the key role of procurement in addressing the major environmental, social and economic challenges faced by cities today. Her speech will be followed by a plenary session on how step changes in procurement can contribute to the transformation of our societies in light of these challenges.

The rest of the first day will feature parallel sessions highlighting how public procurement can contribute to broader policy objectives, such as the just transition, the circular economy and the transformation of our food systems. Furthermore, Erika Bozzay, Senior Policy Advisor at OECD will highlight how training and upskilling can contribute to the further implementation of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP). The day will end with an official dinner and the Procura+ Awards Ceremony (more information to come soon).

The second day will start with a session where procurement professionals will highlight the mistakes they’ve made and how they overcome them, knowing that impactful step changes are sometimes only possible if we learn from failure. The session will be led by Paul Louis Iske, Chief Failures Officer at the Institute for Brilliant Failures and Emanuelle Maire, Head of Unit for DG Environment. These will be followed by a market lounge showcasing relevant tools, approaches projects and initiatives. The Conference will end with a Final Plenary (speaker to be confirmed), after which there will be networking opportunities during the Agora session and the site visits.

The full programme can be found on the official Procura+ Conference website. The programme is subject to change, and more speakers will be confirmed in the coming days. Soon the registration form will also be made available.