An unmet need or a challenge in the context of an innovation procurement is
“a requirement that you have now, or (preferably) one that you* will have in the future, that current products, services or arrangements cannot meet, or can only do so at excessive cost or with unacceptable risk. Unmet needs often become apparent as a result of a problem that needs resolving, a policy objective or target that needs delivering or where existing solutions are failing and new approaches, products, services or arrangements are needed.”**
An unmet need or challenge often becomes apparent whenever a procurer has to solve a problem that negatively impacts the efficiency of its internal operations or the quality of the service of public interest it offers to citizens or whenever a procurer has to implement policy objectives or legislations.
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* In the case of Pre-Commercial procurement (PCP) and/or Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (PPI) it concerns the unmet need of a public procurer. For the explanations of PCP and PPI, please see below.
** See Department for Business Innovation & Skills: “Delivering best value through innovation. Forward Commitment Procurement. Practical Pathways to Buying Innovative Solutions” (November 2011)