The EU pre-commercial procurement project CircularPSP launched a €5.64 million tender (TED Notice) for Suppliers to design, develop and test an innovative ‘circular economy solution’ (CE-solution) that enables municipalities and their staff as well as businesses in the local economy to apply circular practice more quickly, frequently, widely and effectively.

CircularPSP invites all interested parties to learn about the tender documents which have been made public.

The info session introduces the tender for Circular Economy solutions for cities. 8 leading CE-cities (including CircularBerlin and ReLondon) have developed this tender jointly reflecting the challenges they share and consider to be on the critical path towards a wide-scale and systemic uptake of circular economy principles.

Registration Link

Agenda:

• Welcome & Introduction
• Tender Summary
• Challenge Brief
• CfT Conditions and Proposals
• Q&A
   

Other Tender Events: This is the first webinar in the Tender Event Series, the second webinar (18 January) focusses on the Technical Part, the third and last webinar (25 January) focusses on the Administrative and Financial Parts. 

Follow the CircularPSP Project on LinkedIn, X or Mastodon.

SPIN4EIC – Strategic Innovation Procurement: Elevate & Connect is the very first event of the SPIN4EIC Programme which aims to introduce its activities and services. This 2 hours, fully online event, is a great opportunity to discover the SPIN4EIC Programme and its many different services aimed at developing communities of public and private buyers interested in the solutions offered by the EIC awardees and helping EIC awardees to access procurement within and outside of the European Union.

The event will also unveil the project’s vibrant online SPIN4EIC community and communicate upcoming calls and opportunities provided to EIC beneficiaries and public and private procurers. More details about the event, including the agenda and speakers will be shared closer to the date of the event. Stay tuned!

The event is open to all but recommended for EIC beneficiaries, as well as public (local, regional and national authorities) and private buyers interested to take their innovative services/products to the next level.

Registration is open until 15 February 2024.
Register now and join the SPIN4EIC – Strategic Innovation Procurement: Elevate & Connect

If you cannot make to the event, feel free to subscribe to the SPIN4EIC mailing list to stay tuned on the next activities, here.

About SPIN4EIC
The SPIN4EIC programme is an innovative and unique initiative recently launched by the European Innovation Council (EIC) dedicated to providing support services to public buyers and EIC innovators, ultimately enhancing innovation procurement markets on a global scale. 

SPIN4EIC encompasses a range of activities, including the delivery of assistance services to public buyers keen on procuring innovative solutions from forward-thinking SMEs and startups, and the creation of a community connecting EIC beneficiaries and buyers (public and private). The SPIN4EIC Community is a place where public buyers can exchange on experiences and good practices, engage with EIC beneficiaries, and stay up to date on innovation procurement processes and opportunities.

Save the date! ICLEI Europe and ICLEI Member Lisbon (Portugal) are proud to announce that the 11th Procura+ Conference will be held in the Portuguese capital from 13-14 March 2024. The conference will showcase how cities and public authorities can use public procurement to implement step changes that make a big impact.

During the conference, cities, public authorities, representatives of the European Commission, business leaders, researchers and other public procurement stakeholders will be able to:

• Perfect their procurement skills in specialist Breakout Sessions
• Be inspired to think more strategically by Disruptors and Game Changers
• Learn from the wisdom of experienced procurers in the Confessions session
• Engage with peers and learn about their latest tools, actions and initiatives in the Market Lounge
• Hear how public money is being directed towards technologies and businesses that support an innovative, net zero and just sustainable society
• Explore the latest policy updates and the future of procurement

In the last 25 years, the Procura+ conference has become one of Europe’s key public procurement events—a conference where sustainable, circular and innovation procurement policy meets practice, and where procurement innovations have originated. It offers public procurement stakeholders a great opportunity to exchange information, build capacity, and network, aiming to accelerate and enable the implementation of high quality, cost effective, sustainable, circular and innovative procurement practices.

The conference is a great opportunity for public procurement practitioners to showcase their work to over 250 attendees from across Europe and the world. Interested? Fill in the call for contributions form here!

The call is open to procurement practitioners from local, regional and national government; public authorities; businesses, suppliers, manufacturers; policy makers; legal experts; scientific and research organisations; international and European institutions and agencies. The deadline for the submission of proposals is 15 September 2023 EOB.

Examples of possible contributions include:

• Good practice examples of implementation, strategies and lessons learnt
• How procurement addresses societal challenges faced by cities, public authorities and businesses
• The latest projects, initiatives, research, guidance and tools designed to improve sustainable, circular and innovation procurement practices
• Working with the private sector
• Sustainable and innovative product or service solutions

To find out more about the conference, visit the Procura+ conference website. More information about the programme, speakers and registration will be made available soon. If you are interested in collaborating, or have any questions about the conference, contact conference@procuraplus.org.

The Big Buyers Working Together (BBWT) team is hosting its first in-person annual event on 24 April 2024. Ths event will offer a unique opportunity not only for knowledge sharing, but also for forging connections, exchanging insights, and weaving the fabric of collaboration among public buyers on innovative and sustainable procurement.

The event will explore the three powerful themes of green/digital, social, and health procurement – setting the stage for engaging discussions and initiatives. The morning sessions will highlight some of the key developments in strategic public procurement from the perspective of the European Commission, and feature panel discussions on the needs and challenges of public buyers.

The afternoon will be dedicated to breakout sessions for the BBWT Communities of Practice. Participants from all the 10 Communities of Practices within the project are invited to the event. Together they will explore the synergies among the CoPs, amplify the impact of their shared mission.

To register and find more information about the full programme, click here.

Procure4Health challenges the market to develop an innovative solution to implement a sustainable and effective pathogen protective system in the healthcare context that can replace single use face masks. The current use of single-use face masks in healthcare settings has brought to light a pressing concern: their lack of sustainability across various dimensions.

Beyond their immediate utility in combating infectious diseases, these masks symbolize broader challenges at the intersection of economics, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. The complexities of their production, importation, and disposal have made it evident that the current practices surrounding single-use face masks demand critical examination and strategic reevaluation.

In this context, Procure4Health is seeking the implementation of a sustainable and effective pathogen protective system that can replace single use face masks and significantly contribute to waste reduction, environmental sustainability, cost savings, and improved public health outcomes.

To register, and find more information on the event, click here

For more information on the other Procure4Health challenges, click here.

Public authorities and social economy entities are invited to take part in training activities organised as part of the WeBuySocialEU capacity-building efforts. The training events – delivered in the national languages – are designed to help stakeholders not only gain much-needed expertise in socially responsible public procurement but also to establish participants as the go-to person within their organisation for advice and expertise in this increasingly important field. These national training sessions are specifically tailored to professional and particular contexts, thanks to in-depth research and interviews conducted by national experts in autumn 2023.

For civil servants or public authority employees: You will learn how to design tendering procedures that are accessible to the social economy and include social aspects. You will learn how to include different types of social considerations across the procurement process, how to monitor their execution, as well as improve the knowledge of social economy entities in your country – how and in which markets they operate - to be able to design public tenders that are accessible to them.

For social economy entities: You will learn how to better compete for public tenders that include social considerations. You will discover how to form consortia among social economy entities and with conventional businesses, as well as how to participate in tenders as subcontractors.

The full agenda of the Lithuanian training session can be found here.

The European Commission's WeBuySocialEU initiative seeks to enhance social responsibility in public procurement by building capacity and awareness across the EU.The initiative aims to involve a broad spectrum of stakeholders, starting with public authorities and social economy entities across Europe, through tailored training events and comprehensive outreach on social media platforms. WeBuySocialEU encourages contracting authorities to integrate social considerations into their purchasing policies and practices. Simultaneously, it supports social economy actors in understanding and participating effectively in public procurement procedures. This effort also aims to foster collaboration and mutual understanding between the social economy and the public sector across the EU.

More information about the initiative can be found here.

Public authorities and social economy entities are invited to take part in training activities organised as part of the WeBuySocialEU capacity-building efforts. The training events – delivered in the national languages – are designed to help stakeholders not only gain much-needed expertise in socially responsible public procurement but also to establish participants as the go-to person within their organisation for advice and expertise in this increasingly important field. These national training sessions are specifically tailored to professional and particular contexts, thanks to in-depth research and interviews conducted by national experts in autumn 2023.

For civil servants or public authority employees: You will learn how to design tendering procedures that are accessible to the social economy and include social aspects. You will learn how to include different types of social considerations across the procurement process, how to monitor their execution, as well as improve the knowledge of social economy entities in your country – how and in which markets they operate - to be able to design public tenders that are accessible to them.

For social economy entities: You will learn how to better compete for public tenders that include social considerations. You will discover how to form consortia among social economy entities and with conventional businesses, as well as how to participate in tenders as subcontractors.

The full agenda of the Belgian (French language) training session can be found here.

The European Commission's WeBuySocialEU initiative seeks to enhance social responsibility in public procurement by building capacity and awareness across the EU.The initiative aims to involve a broad spectrum of stakeholders, starting with public authorities and social economy entities across Europe, through tailored training events and comprehensive outreach on social media platforms. WeBuySocialEU encourages contracting authorities to integrate social considerations into their purchasing policies and practices. Simultaneously, it supports social economy actors in understanding and participating effectively in public procurement procedures. This effort also aims to foster collaboration and mutual understanding between the social economy and the public sector across the EU.

More information about the initiative can be found here.

On 30 May 2024 from 9.00 to 12.30 the European Assistance for Innovation Procurement (EAFIP) initiative will present the webinar How to prepare an Innovation Procurement: Best Practices and Lessons Learned.

Illustrated by case examples of different European projects, the webinar takes participants through all the different stages and activities when preparing an innovation procurement: from needs assessment and scoping, conducting a market analysis (including identification of the State-of-the-Art, performing an Open Market Consultation and possible e-pitching sessions), to developing a business case and drafting the tender documents.

The webinar is mainly targeted towards European public buyers, but also suppliers of innovative solutions and policy makers are most welcome to join. Participation is free of charge, but registration is mandatory. Find more information about the webinar and register here!

Public authorities and social economy entities are invited to take part in training activities organised as part of the WeBuySocialEU capacity-building efforts. The training events – delivered in the national languages – are designed to help stakeholders not only gain much-needed expertise in socially responsible public procurement but also to establish participants as the go-to person within their organisation for advice and expertise in this increasingly important field. These national training sessions are specifically tailored to professional and particular contexts, thanks to in-depth research and interviews conducted by national experts in autumn 2023.

For civil servants or public authority employees: You will learn how to design tendering procedures that are accessible to the social economy and include social aspects. You will learn how to include different types of social considerations across the procurement process, how to monitor their execution, as well as improve the knowledge of social economy entities in your country – how and in which markets they operate - to be able to design public tenders that are accessible to them.

For social economy entities: You will learn how to better compete for public tenders that include social considerations. You will discover how to form consortia among social economy entities and with conventional businesses, as well as how to participate in tenders as subcontractors.

The full agenda for the training session in Portugal will follow soon

The European Commission's WeBuySocialEU initiative seeks to enhance social responsibility in public procurement by building capacity and awareness across the EU.The initiative aims to involve a broad spectrum of stakeholders, starting with public authorities and social economy entities across Europe, through tailored training events and comprehensive outreach on social media platforms. WeBuySocialEU encourages contracting authorities to integrate social considerations into their purchasing policies and practices. Simultaneously, it supports social economy actors in understanding and participating effectively in public procurement procedures. This effort also aims to foster collaboration and mutual understanding between the social economy and the public sector across the EU.

More information about the initiative can be found here.

Public authorities and social economy entities are invited to take part in training activities organised as part of the WeBuySocialEU capacity-building efforts. The training events – delivered in the national languages – are designed to help stakeholders not only gain much-needed expertise in socially responsible public procurement but also to establish participants as the go-to person within their organisation for advice and expertise in this increasingly important field. These national training sessions are specifically tailored to professional and particular contexts, thanks to in-depth research and interviews conducted by national experts in autumn 2023.

For civil servants or public authority employees: You will learn how to design tendering procedures that are accessible to the social economy and include social aspects. You will learn how to include different types of social considerations across the procurement process, how to monitor their execution, as well as improve the knowledge of social economy entities in your country – how and in which markets they operate - to be able to design public tenders that are accessible to them.

For social economy entities: You will learn how to better compete for public tenders that include social considerations. You will discover how to form consortia among social economy entities and with conventional businesses, as well as how to participate in tenders as subcontractors.

The full agenda of the Estonian training session can be found here. To express your interest, click here.

The European Commission's WeBuySocialEU initiative seeks to enhance social responsibility in public procurement by building capacity and awareness across the EU. The initiative aims to involve a broad spectrum of stakeholders, starting with public authorities and social economy entities across Europe, through tailored training events and comprehensive outreach on social media platforms. WeBuySocialEU encourages contracting authorities to integrate social considerations into their purchasing policies and practices. Simultaneously, it supports social economy actors in understanding and participating effectively in public procurement procedures. This effort also aims to foster collaboration and mutual understanding between the social economy and the public sector across the EU.

More information about the initiative can be found here.