Specialist Advisory Services to build capacities on innovation procurement

Target group(s): Public and private procurers, state-owned enterprises, SMEs and start-ups, research and technological organisations, innovation agencies and other public bodies responsible for promoting innovation procurement, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).

Despite the legal reforms and incentives in the area of public procurement of innovative solutions, this field is still characterised by a risk-adverse approach. In some Member States and Associated countries, the use of innovation procurement is slowly gaining pace, but other administrations still resist the use of a more innovation-attuned approach, which recognises that there might be different possible solutions to problems, rather than just the incumbent technology or process. The strategic potential of innovation procurement is immense, especially in supporting technological development in and by the public sector. Companies, and particularly SMEs and mid-caps, may depend on sales to the public sector or just consider this opportunity can be motivating to innovate and adopt new technologies through public demand.

This action will support innovation procurement specialist advisory services that will act as the intermediary between public procurers and innovative suppliers, bridging those gaps that hamper the progress in the integration of innovative solutions in the public sector. With these innovation procurement specialist advisory services, it is expected to overcome the fragmentation and dispersion of public procurement across the EU, enhancing the coordination on procuring innovative solutions within Member States and Associated Countries.

The innovation procurement specialist advisory services are expected to have several main competencies which will help them achieve their goals:

• Specialised knowledge on one or more market sector(s) and increased awareness of the national, regional, or local innovative start-ups and SMEs which are active in their sector(s) of specialisation;
• Strong awareness of market opportunities that exist in their sectors of expertise, namely relevant competitions and calls which are open or planned at national, regional, and local levels;
• Good understanding of both what public procurers demand, but also what innovative suppliers could provide;
• Good technical background on their sectors, being in the position to assess the technical solutions proposed and the potential implications which could emerge from the implementation of an innovative solution. This way, the innovation procurement specialist advisory services should be able to explain to the public buyers the function of the proposed innovative solutions and clarify technical aspects which could negatively affect their risk perception;
• Thorough knowledge of relevant procurement procedures. Consequently, the advisory services should be able to provide clarity in the legal framework for both public buyers and suppliers and eliminate uncertainties that could emerge;
• Strong knowledge of and good connections to innovative SMEs and the start-up environment, including the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the EIT, as well as other EU and national networks (European Enterprise Network, Startup Europe, etc.).

The innovation procurement specialist advisory services are expected to facilitate the essential change of culture of public procurers regarding the adoption of innovative solutions by diminishing their resistance to change and risk-averse perceptions. To that extent, it is expected to reverse the slow uptake of innovation procurement practices for buying innovative solutions over traditional ones, and to spur the underpinning research and innovation activities by SMEs, start-ups, and industry providers enabling innovation (research and development) services and outcomes of innovation process to enter the market. The innovation procurement specialist advisory services are expected to strengthen the interaction of public procurers with small innovative companies by providing practical knowledge and eliminating the perception that procurement is limited to a legal and administrative process.

The specialist advisory services participating in this process should also set up new expert networks by sharing best practices among them, regardless of where an initiative took place. To that extent, besides the increase of knowledge and awareness, there is good potential for creating synergies. The proposals should focus on the following activities:

• Awareness-raising and enhanced knowledge on innovation procurement legal frameworks for public procurers and evaluators of innovative procurement;
• Enhanced innovation knowledge and skills in procurers, raising awareness about co-design processes between SMEs and procurers (public and private) that may help to discover the most up-to-date innovative technological solutions, and assist in their development and further acquisition;
• Scale up examples of best practice on the definition of needs and design of procedures and long-term strategies in the field of innovation procurement;
• Create more structured cooperation between the ecosystems of procurers and financial investors for innovation procurements.