The purpose of the MLE on innovation-enhancing procurement is to set up an EU knowledge-sharing service on innovation-enhancing procurement, encouraging mutual-learning, identifying good practices and providing advice in the field. The MLE aims to support Member States in designing, implementing and/or evaluating different policy instruments in relation to innovation-enhancing procurement.
The participating countries will get together to explore the best ways to tackle the identified policy challenges: (1) developing a strategic framework for innovation procurement, (2) capacity building, (3) financial resources/incentives, and (4) measurement, evaluation and monitoring, acknowledging a need for change in the design and/or implementation of policy instruments and wishing to learn from experiences in other countries.
Documents
This thematic report, produced by the PSF Mutual Learning Exercise (MLE) on Innovation Procurement, puts forward relevant frameworks and definitions for discussion. The report builds on a Challenge Paper, background research and feedback from participating countries at MLE workshops in Brussels and The Hague.
Innovation-related procurement requires organisational capacities and individual skills beyond the typical professional qualification in public procurers. Capacity building is important to strengthen public procurers' readiness and ability to initiate and execute innovation-related procurement. This report considers the capacities and capabilities needed, recipients of capacity-building activities, and capacity-building enablers and supporters.
This report sets out the rationale for financing in support of innovation related procurement and considers the framework conditions necessary for successful financing mechanisms. It concludes with several recommendations arising from the MLE process and includes national profiles summarising the different approaches taken at a national level. The Topic C MLE process concluded that there is a clear rationale for financing for innovation related procurement in the context of the overall policy framework, be it at a national or EC level.
The main purpose of evaluation is to deliver policy intelligence, providing accountability, learning, and guidance. Evaluating public policies is a necessary step because any government intervention can only be justified if it has a complementary and positive effect, which would not have taken place without the policy. Even if there is evidence from some countries having started to monitor and assess their innovation-related procurement activities, we are still far from a common strategic framework for the practice of innovation-related procurement.
This is the final report of the Mutual Learning Exercise (MLE) on 'Innovation Procurement’ which was carried out from January 2017 to May 2018 by 13 EU Member States and two associate countries.
Through public procurement, the public sector is a dominant first-buyer of products and services. Several EU Member States thus use public procurement procedures to accelerate innovation. Yet, for many procuring entities, this aim is not a core priority and thus despite its potential, innovation-related procurement is not yet fully used.