Public procurement is taking the stage in Europe! This week, public buyers from Central Purchasing Bodies from all over Europe came together in Brussels to conclude the last onsite block of the annual PPE+ Europe 2025 training programme. 

The new guidance document Circular public procurement in cities (October 2025), published by the European Investment Bank’s Circular City Centre - C3, provides comprehensive guidance for cities to leverage procurement as a strategic instrument to promote circularity.

PPE+ Europe 2024–2028 is designed to empower public buyers from centralized purchasing bodies to achieve greater efficiency and value in public spending. Beyond comprehensive training, participating authorities gain exclusive access to bespoke consultancy services delivered by EY Romania.

Yesterday marked the official start of our training journey, and what an inspiring beginning it was! Bundesbeschaffung GmbH, ICLEI Europe, and EY Romania kicked off with a dynamic and engaging agenda at our Vienna venue, Quartier Sechs.

Following an extensive application process, PPE+ Europe 2025 has selected 44 public procurement professionals from 21 European countries for its second training programme aiming to support public buyers to get better value for public spending. 

🚨 Only 5 days left to apply! 🚨 Join the PPE+ Europe training programme and boost your strategic procurement skills through expert-led sessions in Vienna, Brussels, and online. Apply by 30 May 2025 to be part of this exclusive opportunity!

Public procurement has the potential to advance social policies and provide transformative societal benefits, such as social inclusion, gender equality and decent working conditions. However it can be a challenge to measure the impact of Socially Responsible Public Procurement (SRPP). 

The online info session, happening the 12th of May from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM CEST, will provide general information about the training programmes to potential applicants, as well as a Q&A session where interested parties will be able to address any doubts and questions.

After the successful implementation of the first round of PPE+ Europe 2024, applications are now open for the second round of the training programme for public procurers, PPE+ Europe 2025.

The PPE+ Europe 2024 training programme concluded on a high note, featuring sessions on critical procurement topics and a heartfelt graduation ceremony. Participants gained valuable insights into negotiations, anti-corruption, market engagement, and more. The 2025 programme opens soon - stay tuned!

The primary goals of the PPE+ Europe 2024-2028 project are to further professionalise public procurement practitioners, particularly from Central Purchasing Bodies (CPBs) and other centralised procurement institutions from EU Member States and Single Market Programme (SMP) participating countries. 

Uwe Flach, representing the Austrian Public Procurement Agency BBG, presented the EU-funded PPE+ Europe 2024-2028 training programme as part of a presentation to the SME Assembly - European Commission in Budapest, Hungary.

The first onsite block of the PPE+ Europe 2024 training programme has been carried out in the headquarters of BBG in Vienna, Austria. After attending the kick-off on the 4th of November, the participants embarked on a two weeks onsite training, participating in a total of twelve modules. 

PPE+ Europe 2024 kicked off its first of four Strategic Procurement Trainings on 4 November 2024 in Vienna (Austria). This inaugural event brought together procurement professionals from various European countries, setting an engaging and collaborative tone for the entire programme.

Thank you to everyone who applied for the Strategic Procurement Training for Centralised Procurement Organisations (PPE+ Europe 2024)! The application period officially closed on 21 August 2024, and we're excited to announce that the training will kick off this November in Vienna!