In June, Portuguese public buyers gathered in Lisbon tor receive a training on socially responsible public procurement (SRPP). The training, led by ICLEI Europe in collaboration with ESLIDER and IMPIC took place as part of WeBuySocialEU, an initiative of the European Commission that aims to empower public buyers and social economy organisations to use public procurement to achieve social goals.
As public procurement accounts for 14% of EU’s GDP, contracting authorities can create a huge impact by integrating social considerations into their purchasing policies and practices. However, many public buyers lack sufficient knowledge of, and experience with, socially responsible public procurement. Consequently, the first session of the training event in Portugal focused on raising awareness. The session aimed to provide a holistic and introductory approach for both contracting authorities and social economy entities on the concept of SRPP. It also outlined the possibilities provided by EU and national law for promoting social considerations through public procurement procedures.
The opening session was followed by five modules that aimed to give participants a better understanding of SRPP in practice. One module focused on how to include social considerations throughout the public procurement process, and highlighted the skills needed to promote SRPP, as well as its benefits and challenges. Another module gave public buyers a better understanding of what the social economy is, and the characteristics of the organisations working within it. The final three modules focused on more specific subjects such as reserved contracts, market dialogue/pre market consultation, and how public procurement can influence the work of social economy entities.
The training ended with a networking session designed to foster mutual understanding and collaboration between contracting authorities and social economy actors. Participants explored potential synergies within various sectors of the social economy through active participation, critical thinking and the exchange of diverse perceptions, ultimately leading to comprehensive and impactful solutions to complex challenges.
ICLEI will organise a similar training on 23 September in Helsinki for Finnish public buyers, while AEIDL the coordinator of WeBuySocialEU will organise trainings on 19 September and 2 October in respectively Barcelona and Madrid for Spanish public buyers.
To register for the Finish training, click here. To register for the Spanish trainings click here.
More information about the Portuguese training event can be found here.