Prominent PLUS: Workshops. Innovation procurement for public clients ans suppliers of innovative solutions. Slovenia 10 May 2022
Implemented workshop Innovation procurement for public clients and suppliers of innovative solutions based on practical guidelines, benefits and advantages of innovation procurement was held on 10.5.2022 in Slovenia. It was organized by the GOLEA Agency and REA North within the Interreg MED project PROMINENT PLUS, which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.
The workshop was focus on the practical presentation of innovation procurement and demonstration of benefits, as it was based on the transfer of experiences from the successfully implemented project Prominent MED, which resulted in four successfully implemented innovation procurements. The workshop was also point out the possibilities of on-time connection between providers of innovative solutions and contracting authorities even before the implementation of the public tender phase, which is one of the important concepts in the process of procurement of innovations.
Participant of workshop was Contracting authorities that have an interest in improving public services in strategic areas or have already been in contact with innovative procurement process, and who want to improve their competencies in the future to become public procurers of innovative solutions.
On the other hand the participant was also technology solution providers or service providers that already cooperate or have an interest in cooperating with public authorities and see an opportunity to implement or complete their innovative solutions and concepts in cooperation with public authorities, as a sector that has significant investment (financial) resources.
In the beggining GOLEA presented the project PROMINENT PLUS and its work on public procurment. The representative of the Regional Energy Agency North (Croatia), Denis Premec, presented an insight into the basic concept of public procurement of innovations and a successful implementation of public procurement of innovative solutions on the project case of comprehensive energy renovation (kindergarten in Koprivnica, Croatia). As an experienced innovation consultant, Gaynor Whyles, Director of JERA Consulting Ltd (UK), provided us with insights and motivation on how can public clients and providers of innovative solutions find each other and connect in practice. There were many interactions between participants and lecturers at the workshop. They exchanging opinions and views on the public procurement process itself as well as their problems and needs.