Exploring synergies: Strengthening Collaboration Between Food and Public Procurement Partnerships
The challenges faced by urban authorities are complex and interconnected, making the synergies between UAEU Partnerships essential for enhancing and amplifying the work of each partnership. The meeting hosted by the City of Haarlem on November 19th provided a valuable platform to explore and develop collaborative opportunities between the Food and Public Procurement Partnerships.
Potential areas of collaboration
Despite being at different stages of development, the two partnerships present significant possibilities for cooperation. The Partnership on Innovative & Responsible Public Procurement, established in 2019, is long-term, multistakeholder collaboration and is currently launching its third action plan for the period 2025-2027.
The key priorities for the new action plan will focus on capacity-building initiatives in areas such as circular procurement, socially responsible procurement, professionalization of procurement professionals, and innovation procurement, to tackle future societal challenges.
Additional actions are planned at the advocacy level, especially the opportunity to gather contributions for the upcoming EU consultation on Public Procurement Directives, which is expected to be launched in the next few months.
Launched in January 2024, the Food Partnership shares several priorities with the Public Procurement Partnership, particularly in advocacy initiatives. One of the key priority topics for the Food Partnership, outlined in the Orientation Paper, is the development of sustainable food procurement criteria, focusing on advocating for policies that promote healthier diets, reduce food waste in public canteens, and prioritize ingredients sourced from sustainable agricultural practices. This also includes supporting fair remuneration for farmers, upholding workers' rights, ensuring animal welfare, and fostering opportunities for local and small-scale farmers and food businesses — efforts that are fully aligned with the priorities of circular and socially responsible procurement of the Public Procurement Partnership.
Other areas of collaboration emphasize capacity building and knowledge sharing, specifically through identifying and documenting best practices in food procurement across the EU, as well as providing expertise to enhance tender criteria for fair, sustainable, and healthy diets.
If you want to make an impact, you can leverage public procurement as a strategic tool to influence market supply. It helps shape what the market offers. Training, advocacy, and capacity building are key areas for collaboration to enhance the impact of both the Food and Innovative Public Procurement Partnerships.
The UA Public Procurement Platform, developed by the Public Procurement Partnership as part of the 2022-2024 Action Plan, serves as a starting point for multilateral collaboration and the sharing of experiences. It benefits all local, regional, and national authorities interested in using public procurement as a strategic governance tool that helps institutions to achieve their broader urban policy objectives such as sustainability, social inclusion, and economic development.