Report on staff exchanges to stimulate mutual learning is out
The BUILD project’s series of staff exchanges culminated in a wealth of collective learnings. These exchanges transitioned theoretical knowledge of innovative procurement into insightful tools. They could be implemented in home processes, leveraging the best of each other’s procurement strategies. Would you be interested in discovering these strategies, insights and success cases, they are now available in the newly released Staff Exchanges Report.
The journey from theory to practice
Each staff exchange was designed based on the collective work and desires initially shared via questionnaires and co-workshops. The programmes included concrete examples of procurement strategies, internal municipal structures, and challenges. Participants shared strategies and supporting documents, detailing everything from planning to contract completion, and engaged in deep and strategic exchanges of information. This hands-on approach facilitated a deeper understanding and a greater ability to implement new practices.
Key learnings and insights
Several key insights and learnings emerged from the exchanges:
- The importance of technology in enhancing procurement processes – as seen in Turku’s innovative procurement app.
- The benefits of flexible procurement thresholds – demonstrated by Rotterdam’s support for local businesses.
- The value of citizen involvement in procurement decisions – a common theme in all participating cities.
- The high interest in increasing the number of innovative procurements, which holds potential for making cities more inclusive and sustainable.
- The scarcity of practical examples, related to the nascent nature of this field, compared to the higher level of theoretical learning material available.
- The importance of collaboration between those making and ordering the procurement (e.g., schools). To ensure successful innovative procurement and smooth management, the entire city organisation must understand that increased communication and cooperation are essential to improving the city. It’s not only the procurer’s responsibility. Cities and their communities should deeply understand that procurements play a crucial role in advancing sustainable goals and creating inclusive spaces.
Conclusion
Organising these staff exchanges was a great opportunity to understand more deeply the strategies, successes, and challenges adopted by leading municipalities. Increased benchmarking, sharing best practices, and learning from each other’s successes and mistakes are essential activities to make innovation procurement the norm, rather than a complex, nascent tool.
BUILD is here to support you
If you want to get all the insights from this activity and learn more about BUILD procuring partners’ strategies and highlights, you can consult the D4.2 Report on Staff Exchanges to Stimulate Mutual Learning.
Stay tuned for the upcoming Educational Library, where we will share in detail all the presentations, lessons, tools, and support documents that we have learned or developed during these two years of BUILD implementation.
