The project entails developing an information system platform to help public sector procurement units, particularly in a spirit that takes circular economy into account.
Objective
Public operators and stakeholders invited to join can take part in the activities by bringing up challenges in procurement operations and problems that need solving.
System suppliers and capable IT businesses can enter the tendering process for the project with their own solutions. In the multi-tier EU project, businesses make progress towards the finalised solution. Municipal parties that take part will have an opportunity to test the solution, as well as an extensive opportunity to take part in co-developing solutions all the way to the end of the project.
The functions and features expected of the end result include interpretation of the circular economy strategies of different EU areas and information provision across languages, measuring procurements that support circular economy and developing these metrics, coordination with existing information systems and, above all, taking circular economy into account in preparations for procurements, as well as providing the procurement staff with guidance and instructions by means of digital tools.
The technical areas of the project are strongly related to knowledge management, utilising artificial intelligence (AI/NLP) and developing procurement metrics.
Instead of competing with existing procurement platforms, the project expressly aims to build a solution to prepare and measure procurements that crosses borders and languages and makes it possible for procurement units to switch to procurements that support circular economy, flexibly and without prior competence.
The project involves an area of 55 million residents via seven different procurement units, from eight different European countries.
Duration, partners, funding and total budget
- The project will be carried out in 2023–2026
- 12 partners from eight different EU countries
- The funding instrument is the EU Horizon Europe Pre Commercial Procurement Programme (PCP), and the total budget is 5.64 million euros. In the best possible scenario, one company or consortium could be awarded for 1.974 million EUR, in the case of passing all procurement phases
- Forum Virium’s share in the project is 1.185 million EUR.
The role of Forum Virium Helsinki
Forum Virium’s role in the project is to serve as the coordinator of Finland’s share and represent Helsinki’s role and interest in particular. Each partner in the project is responsible for compiling challenges in their respective geographical area, charting stakeholders and providing information regarding the procurement.
Another aspect is to carry out local partial pilots related to testing and piloting together with the main coordinator of the project and other partners. Plenty of local and international events will be held during the project as hybrid and online events. Forum Virium will provide the other partners with Finland’s high-quality circular economy know-how and procurement competence and, in turn, bring assets such as AI solution know-how to the Helsinki area.
Benefits for Helsinki
Sustainable development and, as part of it, procurements that support circular economy form a significant part of procurement units’ operative and strategic operations. The total volume of the City’s procurements is roughly 4 billion euros. As such, taking circular economy into account in procurements also yields financial benefits and savings.
The specific benefits of the project include the acquisition of information about European procurement practices, strategies, best practices and systems, as well as the new opportunities provided by an information system to prepare procurements as a support service for existing procurement platforms. The solutions of the project will be piloted in Helsinki as well.
Regional businesses can take part in the sizeable tendering process for the project and thus develop their own product alone or by networking with other operators. Unlike in innovative procurement practices, in PCP projects the business retains the ownership rights to the end project, and the project partners have an opportunity to utilise the products in accordance with mutually agreed upon rules.
Responsibility
The project will provide Helsinki with added value particularly in terms of the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Goal 9: Building sustainable infrastructure, and promoting sustainable industry and innovation
Goal 11: Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 16: Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17: Strengthening the means of implementation and revitalising the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Further information
Project website: www.circularpsp.eu
Finnish website: fvh.io/circularpsp
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Project website: | https://circularpsp.eu | |
LinkedIn: | https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/circularpsp/ | |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/CircularPSP | |
Mastodon: | https://eupolicy.social/@CircularPSP |
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Article photo: Skyproduction, City of Helsinki