IMAGE: ICLEI Europe

Last October, EcoProcura 2018, the international conference on sustainable, strategic, circular and innovation procurement, took place in European Green Capital Nijmegen (The Netherlands), shining a light on how procurement has evolved as a policy tool for achieving strategic objectives and targets.

 

The conference brought together over 400 public procurers and stakeholders from across Europe and the world, inspiring and motivating them to grasp all the opportunities available to buy better. The conference was opened with an inspirational speech from Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Chairman and Initiator of the Solar Impulse Foundation. Piccard called on procurers to become today’s pioneers and explorers, asserting that "Today the challenge is not technology. It is psychology”.

 

The power of public procurers as change-makers was indeed demonstrated throughout the three-day conference, with many cities and other public authorities sharing their stories of bold actions to encourage greater sustainability and innovation through procurement.

 

At EcoProcura, attendees heard from the cities of Ghent and Barcelona, as well as the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, on how they have used procurement strategically to meet policy aims and objectives.

 

The cities of Budapest and Copenhagen shared their insight into fostering behavioural change in public procurement, while Amsterdam revealed how it turned a mistake into an opportunity to improve all procurement procedures, challenging the audience to reflect on their own mistakes and turn these into learning opportunities. And, of course, the host city of Nijmegen shared its inspiring story of how it dared to be bold in their latest procurement for green electricity.

 

The messages of the conference also received strong endorsement from multiple Directorates General (DG) of the European Commission. Irmfried Schwimann - Deputy Director-General, Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission - presented the Commissions’ Communication on 'Making Public Procurement work in and for Europe'. In particular, she focused on the need for more partnerships among big buyers, more training for public procurers, accelerated digital transformation, as well as the soon to be completed transition to e-procurement. “We must use public procurement as a lever for sustainable growth, bring it to a strategic level that includes green, social and innovative aspects” said Schwimann.

 

By the end of the conference, it was clear that many influential and motivated individuals and authorities exist in the public procurement sphere, and through greater collaboration with other buyers, it is possible to mainstream the strategic use of procurement, and to fundamentally change the market in key sectors. For those who want to be part of the change, there are several new Europe wide initiatives showcasing best-practices and offering a collaborative support network to those who want to buy better:

 

• Procura+: a network of European public authorities and regions that connect, exchange and act on sustainable and innovation procurement.
  
  
• The InnoBroker project: European Innovation Procurement Brokers (IPB) bring together and facilitate the procurement of innovative goods and services between contracting authorities, suppliers of innovation (with a special focus on SMEs and start-ups), investors, and researchers.
  
  
• Big Buyers: Initiative by the European Commission to connect ‘big buyers’, i.e. public bodies with a large purchasing volume that – together – can have a lasting impact on the market.

 

For more information on how to get involved in the above initiatives or future ICLEI procurement events, email procurement@iclei.org