Over 8 million catered meals a day are provided across Europe, with around 50% of these through procurement contracts with public sector institutions and at an estimated value of EUR 82 billion.
But how many of these meals are made with local, seasonal, organic food (or from reasoned agriculture)? And consequently, how much is the local market concerned by these procurement contracts?
Sadly, very little so far, but increasingly we see cities of different sizes (from capitals like Paris, Copenhagen, Vienna, Brussels to medium-size cities like Liège, Milan, Tartu, Sodertalje, and small ones like Mouans-Sartoux) reversing this trend, and being able to use public procurement to provide seasonal products, reduce food miles, reduce packaging, increase organic production, give access to healthy diet, boost the local economy.
Whether this public procurement is used to serve meals and snacks to canteens/kiosks/vending machines at schools or at public institutions like hospitals, universities, police stations, municipal buildings, the impact public procurement can have at local level is huge.
- The first video tutorial explains why food and procurement are important at local level
- The second video presents the steps of overcoming barriers and identifying outcomes
- The third video explain the steps of commissioning and pre-procurement
Breaking food tenders into small lots, reserving tenders for particular types of economic operators, dialogue with the market before and during the public procurement, are few of the topics explained in this video tutorial.
- The fourth video gives insights and tips on the tendering and decision-making process
It focuses on questions to be included in food tenders around social and environmental considerations, as wells as technical specifications, award criteria, and scoring.
- The fifth video provides a checklist of how cities can make strategic food procurement a reality.
Three more videos complete the above-mentioned tutorials, showing how Liège (BE), Milan (IT), and Brussel Capital Region (BE) have been driving change through their procurements for food.
The full playlist of these nine videos is available here.
Strategic Public Procurement
This video series on public procurement for food, completes the already existing ones on Strategic Procurement, and another on Gender Procurement.
URBACT has also been a key Partner on the Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership for Innovative and Responsible Public Procurement, leading actions on how Procurement can be used to realise Sustainable Urban Development that can be found here.
Reach out to communication@urbact.eu to share your feedback on these tutorials or to ask any questions on public procurement.
