Public procurement can be a key tool in driving the development of innovative goods and services within the European market. Following the successful edition of Big Buyers for Climate and Environment, the European Commission (EC) decided to launch the ‘Big Buyers Working Together’ project in March 2023 to support collaboration between public buyers with strong purchasing power and promote the wider use of strategic public procurement for innovative and sustainable solutions. By working together and pooling their resources, cities, central purchasing bodies, and other major public buyers can maximise their market power and impact.

Under the Big Buyers Working Together (BBWT) Project, ten Communities of Practice (CoPs) will be created on the Public Buyers Community platform. Each CoP will be devoted to the purchase of a specific product, work or service where European collaboration is needed. To support the process of developing more strategic and innovative procurement approaches, public buyers will meet regularly online and in person. Additionally, the BBWT Secretariat will facilitate the organising of study visits, market dialogues, producers’ pitching sessions, meetings with industry associations and other events that will respond to identified capacity gaps and CoP members’ needs.

Members of each CoP will have access to members-only collaboration areas on the Public Buyers Community platform, where they will be able to share their experience, jointly address procurement-related challenges their organisations face and contribute to improving market engagement.

Over the next 4 years, Big Buyers Working Together will help drive market demand for innovative and sustainable products and services in Europe.

Each of the project’s ten CoPs will define its own objectives to effectively address sector-specific opportunities and challenges on innovative and sustainable practices of public procurement. Members will exchange best practices with peers from across the EU, carry out joint market engagement and share market intelligence, identify and discuss the latest guidance and technical developments and develop joint procurement criteria and strategies.

The CoPs will gather public purchasing organisations such as local and regional governments, central purchasing bodies and other public agencies. Market actors (e.g. producers and suppliers) and industry associations will also be invited to attend various sessions and events, depending on the focus and needs of the respective CoP.

The BBWT Project’s ten CoPs will support public authorities in the following thematic areas:

• Zero emission construction sites (ZECS)
• Heavy-duty electric vehicles (HDEV)
• Circular Construction (CC)
• Sustainable solar panels
• Mobility
• Digital
• Social
• New European Bauhaus
• Healthcare Efficiency
• Healthcare Sustainability

Membership in a CoP is free and the costs of travel to in-person meetings will be reimbursed (rules apply).

Each CoP will be moderated in a dedicated space on the Public Buyers Community platform.

 If you have not yet expressed your interest but would like to join, please contact big.buyers@eurocities.eu.

Between May and August 2023, the BBWT Secretariat launched a Needs Assessment (NA) survey, open to all public buyers across the EU and EEA. Around 140 Public Authorities (PA) from the EU-27 as well as the EEA participated in the survey, expressing their needs and recommendations as well as their interest in taking part in the project. 

Although the survey has been officially closed, a certain level of flexibility will be maintained, especially for any public authorities that are highly motivated to participate and those that could provide considerable added value to the Project.

Only public authorities falling under the definition of Contracting authorities as per the Public Procurement Directive 2004/18/EC can take part in the BBWT Project.

You may still express your interest in joining BBWT by sending an email to big.buyers@eurocities.eu.