The 4th Round Table was the last of a series of planned events, organised to provide a forum for discussion and input by project stakeholders on the components and actions in the draft Action Plan for GPP of Gabrovo Municipality Development Plan. The roundtable was kindly hosted by the Gabrovo Chamber of Commerce. 20 participants from various stakeholders joined. They represented businesses (local or national ones), operating in the field of catering, office supplies and equipment, furniture, and municipal departments, secondary budget administrators, regional government office, local hospital, NGO.
The focus of the roundtable was on areas of work towards integration of good GPP practices, motivating and engaging business actors for GPP, as well as on a debate of the draft Action Plan of Gabrovo Municipality.
The first module of the roundtable opened up with a number of presentations to inspire and inform the participants on good GPP examples and methods of engaging the business space. It then flowed into a worldcafe format discussions of the major impediments to the business to participate in GPP procedures. The conclusions pointed to the need to reduce administrative burden and paperwork for the business actors in the process of public procurement bids; to having public institutions consider bids with greater flexibility and freedom in parameters of goods/services, as a means to stimulate supply of varied environment-friendly products and services; to planning and organising regular fora or working meetings of institutional representatives (e.g. of Gabrovo municipality and/or its institutional partners) with the business as a means of improving communication, enabling better planning and more involved participation of the business in public bids. All these were identified as important trust-building elements and activities.
The recommendations and outlined needs in both directions were agreed on and taken note of by all participants, thus the roundtable achieved a very positive outcome of bridging the gap in the dialogue and setting relevant and practical ideas for future actions.
The second part of the Roundtable was dedicated to presentation and discussion of the activities in the draft Action Plan for GPP Promotion of Gabrovo Municipality.
The Plan offers 5 main action modules, which aim to contribute to improving and/or building institutional mechanisms for better integration and promotion of green criteria in public procurement during the implementation of the Municipal Development Plan, while at the same time raising the institutional and public awareness, acceptance and support for GPP, and also creating space for more active collaboration of the business with municipality and other local institutional actors.
The roundtable concluded with concrete decisions as to furthering the promotion of the GPP Action Plan before a wider stakeholder audience. An Open Day was planned, to target more specifically educational institutions in Gabrovo, which also represent one of the target audiences and beneficiaries within the GPP Action Plan.
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Main target group: representatives of the business sector (Gabrovo and Sofia companies represented), experts from departments of Gabrovo Municipality and secondary budget administrators, and Gabrovo Chamber of Commerce (NGO)
Secondary stakeholders: representatives of instutions (e.g. Gabrovo Regional Government, Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment Gabrovo).
