EVENTS

   

EVENTS SEARCH RESULTS ( 1 - 8 from 8 )


March 2021

URBACT Online Course on Strategic Procurement

1 - 31 March 2021

About the course

Drawing upon the activities of Procure and Making Spend Matter's cities, URBACT has developed a free online course to equip cities with the knowledge and tools required to embed social and environmental criteria into the process of public procurement and to progress strategic procurement.

Who is this course for?

This free and online training is targeted at anyone with an interest in procurement and changing the way it is undertaken in cities. You could be a Mayor or Politician, a civil servant working in strategy or procurement department, or working in urban and economic development, or someone completely different and willing to learn!

Course structure

The course is made of 13 videos - 7 learning modules and accompanying case studies. It follows the different steps of the procurement cycle (from how to do a spend analysis, all the way to tendering and contract monitoring).

The course will start in March 2021. Videos will be released on a weekly basis throughout the month with side events and activities to continue to exchange with the learning community.

It is recommended to follow the videos in order and dedicate about 2 hours per week in March. But you can also follow the course at your own pace. All videos will be available in the Toolbox to go back to.

Pre-register here. Find more information here.


Challenging Procurement Series: Integrating wider social value into commissioning and procurement

8 March 2021, 03:30 - 05:00

Delivering societal benefits should open opportunities for a greater variety of innovative companies to deliver government contracts, creating benefits for local economies and communities, and a more resilient supplier base. But meeting these expectations may require commissioning and procurement to be re-imagined.

The webinar will happen on March 8, 3:30 PM CET and is organized by Catapult - Connected Places. It will discuss the ways of meeting these growing demands.

  • What commissioning and procurement strategies are required to deliver social value?
  • How can we support innovative suppliers in achieving the outcomes with the most value?
  • How can we engage communities as co-creators of innovative solutions?

In this webinar experts in social value, public procurement practice, and innovation policy are invited to explore these questions. Audience participation will be encouraged.

More information and registration here.


The future of ICT: Circular solutions for a post-Covid world

18 March 2021, 10:30 - 12:00

One of the most significant impacts the Covid-19 pandemic has had on many organisations is the transition to increased homeworking, a trend which is likely to continue for the long term. This has implications for how organisations manage their assets including ICT equipment. The changing requirements combined with a drive to reduce costs for a post-Covid recovery are driving many organisations to reconsider the type and specification of the equipment they need to procure. This presents a perfect opportunity to build in additional considerations to mitigate another global crisis – the climate emergency.

Changing the way that products are made, procured and used is essential to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. ICT equipment has a high environmental impact which can be significantly reduced by closing the materials loop through sourcing, use and end-of-life management.

This transnational webinar will aim to provide you with a greater understanding of the environmental and financial benefits which can be gained through adapting circular ICT procurement principles and will demonstrate with case study examples how this can be put into practice.

Preliminary Agenda:

* Why ICT?
* Circular procurement: to buy new or not?
* Circular ICT management: extending useful life
* Policy and legal drivers: setting ambitions
* Top tips
* Panel discussion

The event is delivered as part of Interreg North Sea Region circular procurement project, ProCirc, with partners and speakers from Scotland, UK, Sweden and Netherlands.


GPP Helpdesk Webinar – Green Public Procurement of imaging equipment, consumables and print services

23 March 2021, 14:00 - 15:30

This is the first of two Webinars that will be held in 2021, as part of the European Commission’s Helpdesk service on GPP.  The webinar will focus on the updated voluntary EU GPP criteria for imaging equipment, consumables and print services, which have been designed to encompass the whole life cycle of these products and services – from design, use to end-of-life – and includes criteria focused on equipment (such as printers and scanners), consumables (such as cartridges) as well as print services.

The GPP Helpdesk Webinars provide a forum to inform stakeholders working in the field of public sector procurement about important new developments in the resources available and legislative context for GPP, and provide an opportunity for questions and discussion. For more information, visit the European Commission’s GPP website.

Agenda

  • Welcome and Introduction from the EU GPP Helpdesk, Enrico Degiorgis, DG Environment, European Commission
  • Introduction to the new EU GPP Criteria for imaging equipment, consumables and print services, Candela Vidal-Abarca Garrido, Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission
  • Performance contracting of print and copy services, Lidia Capparelli, Consip

Participation is free of charge. Registration is required.

The webinar is organized by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, on behalf of the European Commission (DG Environment).


The Power of Public Food

How the public plate can help build a green recovery
23 March 2021, 18:00 - 19:20

Food for Life Scotland is hosting Scottish local authority decision makers and influencers for a webinar with international and local speakers offering inspiring insight on public food.

Public food is not merely calories on a plate, but a powerful tool for social, environmental and economic change. As Scotland plans for a green recovery, food provides huge potential for positive change. Public procurement of sustainable and local food is one of the most effective mechanisms to drive transformation in food production and supply, and to prioritise the wider community wealth building agenda.

Register here for the webinar.

Guest speakers are:

Joshna Maharaj
Chef, activist and author of Take Back the Tray, Toronto, Canada
Betina Bergmann Madsen
Chief Procurement Officer, City of Copenhagen and public procurement specialist, Copenhagen, Denmark
Dr Audrey Sutton
Executive Director of Communities and Education, North Ayrshire Council, North Ayrshire, Scotland

 


Beyond Buying: How can the circular economy principles feed sustainable public procurement policies and practices?

25 March 2021, 10:00 - 11:30

On behalf of the municipality of Bremen in Germany, FTAO is carrying out a research aiming to gather good practices and guidance on how procurers at municipal level can include circular economy principles in their public procurement policies and practices. 

On 25 March, they are going to present the results of the research during an online event, which will take place from 10:00 to 12:00 CET.  

This event will particularly be interesting for:

  • Procurers that wish to get more insights on how to plan and implement circular public procurement policies and practices;
  • Civil society organisations and researchers aiming to share ideas about how to unlock the potential of public procurement to promote a fair and circular economy.

To register for this event, please follow this link.

Ashleigh McLennan from ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability is giving input about the role of municipalities’ networks in accompanying cities towards circular and sustainable public procurement.


Agenda


PART 1 - Peer learning session: technical workshop

Welcome and objectives of the day
Sergi Corbalán, Fair Trade Advocacy Office

Presentation by the municipality of Bremen of the aim of the research and Bremen’s work in the field of sustainable public procurement 
Municipality of Bremen

The experience of Ludwigsburg (including Q&A session)
Patrick Scholz, Municipality of Ludwigsburg

The experience of a Fair Trade Town which became circular: Ghent (including Q&A session)
Municipality of Ghent (speaker tbc)

The experience of a Fair Trade Town which became also circular: Malmö (including Q&A session)
Emma Boerjesson, Municipality of Malmö

Concluding remarks: How to get started?
Alice Sinigaglia, Fair Trade Advocacy Office

Coffee break

PART 2 - From micro to macro: promoting a fair and circular economy through public procurement

Circular economy blindspots, how to avoid them and the role of public procurement
Circle Economy (speaker tbc)

European Commission plans to promote sustainable public procurement
Anna Lupi, Policy Officer, DG GROW, Unit G1 “Public Procurement Strategy”, European Commission

The role of municipalities’ networks in accompanying cities towards circular and sustainable public procurement
Ashleigh McLennan, Sustainable Economy and Procurement Officer, ICLEI European Secretariat

Interactive session: How to support municipalities to promote a fair and circular economy through public procurement?

Concluding remarks
Municipality of Bremen


Public Procurement Law Association’s webinar on Green Transition

30 March 2021, 11:00 - 12:30

Public Procurement Law Association invites to open access webinar on "Green Transition in Public Procurement", which will be held on March 30, 2021 at 11:00 CET. 

Webinar agenda:

11.00 Welcome on behalf of the Public Procurement Law Association
11.10 - 11.25 EU provisions and case law on GPPAssociate professor, Dr Marta Andhov, University of Copenhagen
11.25 - 11.40 What's on the horizon? The Future of Green Public Procurement requirements in the EUAssistant professor, Dr Willem Janssen, Utrecht University
11.40 - 11.55 Interpretation of the link to the subject matter of the contract in practiceDr Abby Semple, Public Procurement Analysis / Greenville Procurement Partners
11.55 – 12.10 What is the Status Quo of GPP in Poland? Professor Michal Kania, Silesian University
12.10-12.30 Discussion 'What's on the horizon? The Future of Green Public Procurement requirements in the EU'Assistant professor, Dr Willem Janssen, Utrecht University Public Procurement Analysis / Greenville Procurement Partners

Registration is not required. You can find the zoom link on the event page. Participation in the conference is free of charge.


How can Wales spend to support the circular economy?

30 March 2021, 09:30 - 10:45

This webinar is part of the CIWM Resources Conference Cymru Webinar Series and will explore how the public sector and the general public can adjust their buying habits in order to support a circular economy in Wales.

The public sector in Wales spends around £6.7 billion pounds annually. How could that funding be used to support a circular economy in Wales, where resources are kept in use and waste is avoided? As residents and consumers, we also make buying decisions. This session will look at how and where money is spent, and how these decisions could help grow the circular economy.

You’ll hear from experts in green procurement such as Ashleigh McLennan from ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability and how other countries approach this issue.

Please visit the event website to register.