KEINO facilitates thematic buyers’ groups to support implementation of innovative and sustainable procurement in the Finnish public sector.
The Finnish network-based competence centre for sustainable and innovative public procurement KEINO facilitates buyers’ groups consisting of public purchasing authorities with common needs. The buyers’ groups aim at speeding up the development of new ways of working and scaling up the implementation of the best practices and innovative solutions. At the same time, they enhance the capabilities of public procurers to conduct sustainable and innovative procurement.
Buyers’ groups do not make purchases together as a group. Each participating organization is responsible for its own procurements. Instead, the buyers’ groups provide a platform for cooperation and peer support for procurement experts. Cooperation with the suppliers and developers of goods, services, and solutions is also an important part of the buyers’ group activities.
The challenges the buyers’ groups address are different in each group. Members of each group define themselves a joint plan of activities. The groups may focus on clarifying the common challenges ahead, developing joint criteria, tools, testbeds, roadmaps and organizing joint market dialogues. The groups also collect existing best practices from Finland and abroad. The work of each group is facilitated by an expert from KEINO.
In 2021, there are groups focusing on low-carbon construction, clean vehicles and transport, zero emission construction sites, management of polluted soil, healthcare and social welfare related procurement.
Resources needed
Experts of six organizations that form KEINO carry out the work. The Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment funds KEINO and the buyers’ groups.
Evidence of success
Buyers’ groups have created new forms of cooperation and, as a result, helped over 50 public procuring authorities with several procurements. The groups have developed new GPP criteria in different categories and have held joint market dialogues in Finland.
Potential for learning or transfer
The challenges procurement authorities face are similar in many countries. Many of these challenges can be tackled through cooperation. The buyers’ group model is especially suitable for regions with a big number of separate procurement authorities with common needs.
Even though the buyers’ groups do not currently focus specifically on circular public procurement, they present a perfect platform for brainstorming on how circular economy aspects can be taken into account in the forthcoming procurements.
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