Did you know that public purchases have a higher climate impact than Sweden's transportation and agriculture combined? Or that in 2030 there will be a shortage of 170,000 trained employees in healthcare, of which 30,000 are nurses?
Innovation in the public sector is a prerequisite for meeting societal challenges and building sustainable welfare. Sweden also needs in the future to have a well-functioning public sector and that includes the ability to innovate on its own, but also innovation in collaboration with other actors and public demand for new solutions. A key factor is a well-functioning interaction with companies. It includes that companies are given the conditions to scale and spread new solutions that can benefit public, but also private, markets.
Innovation thus plays a role in procurement, but in the same way procurement plays a role in public innovation. An important insight is that almost all innovation made by the public sector will involve procurement to some extent. Everyone who works with development and innovation projects in the public sector needs to consider whether and how public procurement can affect their project.
Innovation procurement is a process that begins when a public activities has identified a need or desire that is not covered by the range of goods and services available on the market or known to the activity. It could be about the need for new development, or that new solutions exist but are untested, or that solutions exist in another market and need to be adapted.
innovation procurement process means that public organizations and innovative companies meet to collaborate in a procurement around new innovative solutions being developed, tested, adapted or verified.
It is a combination of traditional public procurement and experimental innovation projects, which requires competences of many kinds.
Innovation procurement is thus not a particular methodology or procedure. The process is based on the same basis as other public procurement, but also on the same logic as in other types of innovation projects.
Read more about innovation and procurement on the Procurement Authority's website.
What distinguishes those who succeed with innovation procurement? Read the report Evaluation 10 project within innovation procurement (2019)
Afori: The arena for innovation procurement (Afori) is the meeting place where the public sector, business, academia and civil society can gather and be inspired, develop and unite.
The security and resilience of our communities are closely intertwined with our ability to deal with climate challenges and transform to a sustainable society. The public sector has an important role to play in the work and innovation procurement is part of the puzzle. Therefore, we direct our upcoming effort on innovation procurement towards sustainability, resilience and security. The call for proposals opens in February 2023.
A piece of the puzzle in innovation procurement is to tie in external competence when you as a procuring organization need to have decision-making material for a possible innovation procurement. The need for external expertise can also arise when you have already made a decision about innovation procurement, or are in an ongoing innovation procurement. It can also be important to be able to use external test beds, laboratories, etc. in such situations.
Vinnova's call for proposals "Checks for innovation procurement" is for procuring organizations that experience such needs. As long as innovation procurement is about sustainability, resilience and security, all areas are relevant: procurement of electronics, infrastructure, food, buildings and construction materials, recycling, services and lots of other things.
Here you can read more about last year's call for proposals:
Last updated 18 September 2023
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