The aim is to create the widest EU network and largest EU knowledge database on innovation procurement in the Health & Social Care sector
The public procurement of innovation seeks to bring cutting-edge processes and technology closer to the public sector. Not only to benefit from these advances themselves as public sector, but also for the benefit of the citizens who receive or use the services and goods purchased by the public sector. Innovation procurement promotes and stimulates business innovation from public demand-side, which moves about 2 billion euros a year.. It is estimated that an increase in investment in R&D of 3% could create up to 3.7 million new jobs and a considerable increase in GDP. The potential of the public procurement of innovation to promote development and thus quality employment is therefore enormous.
Every year, public authorities in the EU spend around 10% of GDP on the purchase of Health & Social Care (H&Sc) services, works and supplies. The increasing trend of the costs is a challenge, as is the sustainability of global health systems. Leveraging the use of innovation procurement instruments (e.g. PCP, PPI and Innovation Partnerships) could help to tackle common present and future needs and achieve best value for money, driving innovation from the demand side.
However, there are still barriers to EU-wide adoption of innovation procurement, such as fragmentation of health systems, legal differences, bureaucracy, language barriers, risk aversion by policy makers and H&Sc procurers when it comes to adoption of innovation procurement, lack of appropriate procurement skills and expertise, etc. There is no central or consolidated knowledge on innovation procurement & management procedures at EU level, or appraisal of trusted tools and approaches.
EU wide network, knowledge database and innovation procurement projects in H&Sc sector
Procure4Health is a EU project starting June 1st, 2022 that aims to overcome these barriers through the creation of the widest EU network of reference for more than 350.000 procurers. A consolidated database for knowledge exchange and sharing of best practices and management processes will be developed, as well as the design of training programmes to consolidate this knowledge. Furthermore, the focus will be put on the identification and prioritisation of common needs for the preparation of concrete innovation procurement projects and action plans in the H&Sc sector.
Procure4Health will thus provide an appropriate environment for public and private procurers, as well as the wider H&Sc community, to effectively share knowledge, build capacities of procurers, define common needs and advance innovation procurement in the EU within the H&Sc sector.
Procure4Health brings together no less than 33 partners from 15 countries that cover all the aspects to build a successful network of H&Sc procurers at local, regional and European level, including 14 H&Sc public procurers from the EU [3 from Spain; 1 from Portugal; 1 from France; 1 from Italy; 1 from Greece; 2 from Poland; 2 from Sweden; 1 from Denmark; 1 from Estonia; 1 from Belgium], 1 private procurer from EU [Portugal], 4 public procurers from associated countries [1 from Turkey; 1 from Norway; 2 from UK], 1 procurers association, 1 public and private agency and 6 supporting companies and non-profit organisations [2 from Netherlands, 2 from Spain, 1 from Belgium,1 from Germany].
Corvers Procurement Services together with sister company Vtrek will support the project with assistance, advice and guidance to the public procurers regarding the innovation procurement projects. Support will be given during the needs identification, the market analysis and the stakeholder consultation. An open market consultation will be organized, a business case will be developed and based upon analysis of results an innovation procurement strategy will be chosen. Corvers and Vtrek will also be active in training and capacity building within Procure4Health.
During the project Corvers and Vtrek built further upon and transfer the knowledge, expertise and methodologies as developed within the European Assistance for Innovation Procurement (EAFIP) initiative – an EU funded initiative which Corvers leads since the start in 2015.
