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Social Procurement

This CoP for socially responsible public procurement (SRPP) will contribute to using the purchasing of goods, works, and services to ensure positive social outcomes.

News article18 April 2024

Socially responsible public procurers kick off community of practice in Big Buyers Working Together

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The Big Buyers Working Together project launched in January its Community of Practice on Social procurement. This group will focus on using their purchasing power to contribute to social policy goals. The group will have a second meeting on 24 April during the first annual event of the Big Buyers Working Together project. Relevant stakeholders interested in the work of the group, are welcome to join the event in Brussels.

The needs assessment undertaken in preparation of the project showed that the group would like to focus on monitoring contractual clauses, supply chains and human rights, increasing employment opportunities (especially for people with disabilities and others with a distance to the labour market), and including social considerations in different product groups,

During the kick-off meeting the group identified, food, textiles and transportation among the key sectors where it can make an impact. The group however also sees an opportunity to include Socially Responsible Public Procurement (SRPP) considerations more widely in tenders. The group also seeks to more actively influence the market to become more socially responsible. 

Not all participants of the CoP could make it to the kick-off event, which included representatives from the City of Oslo (Norway), Consip (Italy) and Bpost (Belgium). They noted that one of the challenges is the fact that different countries have different methods and levels of experiences, which may be one of the major challenges of this group. 

More information on this Community of Practice can be found on the European Commission’s Public Buyers Community, a digital platform for public procurers. Participants interested in joining the CoP are encouraged to join the annual event in Brussels on 24 April and/or report their interest in the work of the Community by sending an email to Big Buyers Working Together Secretariat, at big.buyers@eurocities.eu. The CoP on Social Procurement is one of the four CoP’s coordinated by ICLEI Europe. Eurocities also coordinates four, while BME coordinates two.