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On behalf of PIANOo (the Procurement Expertise Centre), Dialogic has investigated which interventions governments can use to stimulate innovation-driven procurement, both within their own organisations, as well as regionally or nationally. The following six archetypes of policy interventions (in random order) are central to the research:
- Providing information and support to encourage networking among public contracting authorities.
- Offering central (co)financing to (decentralised) public contracting authorities for innovation-driven procurement.
- Setting targets for procurement budgets.
- Developing innovation agendas and roadmaps by public contracting authorities.
- Promoting innovation-minded behaviour among board members and civil servants.
- Innovation brokerage.
We describe the various ways to implement each type of policy intervention. We use examples from the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Spain, Finland, Austria, Sweden, and Flanders. Additionally, we reflect on the possible application of the policy intervention in the Dutch context: what are the decision dimensions, what efforts are required, and what potential benefits can be expected (in terms of addressing challenges)? We also highlight key implementation considerations for each of the interventions. The findings in the report are based on desk research, a few interviews with stakeholders in the foreign examples, and a discussion session with employees from the Ministry of Justice and Security, the Ministry of Defence, Rijkswaterstaat, and ProRail who are responsible for innovation-driven procurement within their organisations.
We conclude that the various interventions to stimulate innovation-driven procurement are diverse. Firstly, the scope varies significantly per intervention (regionally or nationally focused, sector-specific, targeting a specific organisation, or individual civil servant). Secondly, we observe that the interventions do not operate in splendid isolation. For example, developing an innovation agenda provides a framework under which other interventions (support, networking, etc.) can be implemented. We also note that the first archetype (information and support) is a prerequisite for every other archetype: co-financing, innovation agendas, and target percentages lose their effectiveness if the public contracting authority lacks knowledge. Consequently, we often see that co-financing is almost always accompanied by process support.
The detailed elaboration of the various policy interventions can be found here. Want to learn more? Contact Tessa Groot Beumer.