Public procurement accounts for about 19% of GDP in the European Union and offers an enormous potential market for innovative products and services. Public Procurement of Innovation can support innovation from the demand side. This enables faster modernisation of public services while opening market opportunities for companies in Europe.

Demand-side innovation policy instruments in general as well as public procurement promoting innovation (PPPI) in particular have also received attention at national level. It has become an established part of policies in many EU Member States, in the form of a wide range of instruments − from setting national percentage targets for innovation procurement to developing action plans and financial instruments. Furthermore, the revised EU procurement legislation combined with financing in Horizon 2020 and in structural funds have increased and widened the interest in the innovation procurement in the EU Member States.

Content

The workshop started with an overview of Innovation Procurement and the impact on national agencies. Best Practise and experience examples illustrated procurement instruments at a practical level. Furthermore, the following questions were discussed as a group:

• - Which role does Innovation Procurement play in your agency?
• - How could your agency implement Procurement instruments?
• - Which department of your agency deals with Procurement?
• - Are there any hurdles while implementing procurement?